ipl-logo

Dred Scott V. Sandford Summary

538 Words3 Pages

Dred Scott v. Sandford was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on US labor law and constitutional law. The case was decided in 1857 with a 7–2 decision. Scholars today believe it is one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time. Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia in the 1790’s. In 1830, he was bought by Dr. John Emerson. As an army officer, Dr. Emerson moved frequently. After purchasing him they moved to Illinois, where slavery had been prohibited by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and by state law. After a few years, Emerson moved to a fort in the Wisconsin Territory, where it was barred by the Missouri Compromise. While there, Scott met and married Harriet Robinson, a slave owned by Lawrence Taliaferro. They had two daughters together. Ownership of Harriet was transferred to Emerson. They returned back to Missouri in 1840. Three years later, Dr. John Emerson died and his widow Irene inherited his …show more content…

The discontent by northerners influenced the nomination of Abraham Lincoln to the Republican Party and his subsequent election, which in turn led to the South's secession from the Union. My thoughts on the case are very similar to what the scholars think today. I think it is the worst decision ever by the supreme court. The decision was morally unjust because it declared that African Americans were not citizens. This
In conclusion, the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision was one the most infamous in Supreme Court history. Dred Scott a slave who sued for his freedom on the base that residence on free soil had made him free lost the case. He lost in what is now known as one of the worst decisions in Supreme Court history. The court ruled that people of African descent cannot be, nor were ever intended to be, citizens. Therefore the court held that it did not have jurisdiction because Scott was not a

Show More
Related

  • Dred Scott Case Summary

    550 Words  | 3 Pages

    Summary of Source The editorial discloses the power that the Court adheres to and whether it should be accountable for the decision making of fugitive slaves. The writer had discussed that in no way did the verdict of the Dred Scott case follow an act of law, but was merely “nullity.” During the settlement, they decided that since Dred Scott’s master had brought him on free land in Missouri or of the United States without having a citizenship, which resulted in him having no case. It continues on to say that the jurisdiction of the case was influenced by opinion, which did not involve any legalities.

    Read More

  • History Of The Antislavery Case: Somerset V. Stewart

    344 Words  | 2 Pages

    To first understand why Mr. Dred Scott decided to sue for his freedom, we have to understand the prelude to his story. Even before Dred Scott was born a case in London was buzzing that would emancipate slaves and some historians believe the case contributed to increasing colonial support for separatism in the Thirteen Colonies of British North America, by parties on both sides of the slavery question who wanted to establish independent government and law (Britannica). The case was Somerset v. Stewart and it has been deemed one of the most important legal actions in the history of the antislavery movement (Weiner 71). The facts of the case were that James Somerset was a slave of Charles Stewart, an officer in the British colony of Boston in

    Read More

  • Dred Scott Vs Sandford Case Study

    509 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dred Scott Vs SandFord The case, Dred Scott vs Sandford, (1857) better known as the Dred Scott case was a crucial decision that affected America and it’s black population. Free blacks in America weren’t able to sue the court. The concept of popular sovereignty was also questioned, and blacks with ancestors were imported to America was slave could no longer become citizens. The Case ruled that slaves in free countries are still slaves.

    Read More

  • What Is The Significance Of The Dred Scott Vs Stanford Case

    546 Words  | 3 Pages

    There have been many famous court trials throughout history. The Dred Scott v. Stanford Court Case of 1857, also known as the “Dred scott case”, was one of these historic court trials. This court case led to the United states supreme Court decision on the US labor law and constitutional law. It revolved around the matter of Negroes whose ancestors that were imported into the United States, and were put into slavery. The Supreme ruled that whether enslaved or free, Blacks could not be an American citizen, could not sue in federal court, and the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired.

    Read More

  • Dred Scott: Return To Slavery

    73 Words  | 1 Pages

    Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri, but from 1833-1843, he lived in places where slavery was illegal. When Scott returned to Missouri, he believed that because he lived in free territory, he was a free man. He sued without success in Missouri courts. Scott’s master said that Dred Scott couldn’t be a citizen because of Article III of the Constitution. In the end, Dred Scott lost and had to return to slavery.

    Read More

  • Essay On Dred Scott Vs Sanford

    483 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dred Scott vs Sanford The Dred Scott vs Sanford case was a very pivotal moment in U.S. history for many reasons. After doing some research, I got a better understanding of the constitutional issues, a logical interpretation, the significance and lastly a commentary of my opinion of the final ruling. The first topic is the constitutional issues. The case had been brought before the court by Dred Scott, a slave who had lived with his owner in a free state before returning to the slave state of Missouri.

    Read More

  • Sacrifice Due To The Dred Scott Case

    451 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dred Scott Case was a decision/case that fought for his freedom. Dred Scott was born into slavery, so he didn’t really have a chance to live free. Dred Scott had two different masters, Peter Blow then John Emerson. After the death of his first master, Peter Blow, Dred Scott tried to gain his freedom from a doctor but had gotten turned down because he has African Blood line and then was sold to to his other master, John Emerson. Because he was turned down he had decided to take his case to the Supreme Court.

    Read More

  • Dred Scott Vs Sandford Essay

    601 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1857, an African American man named Dred Scott sued for his freedom in the Supreme Court. His owners brought him along on their trips across free states. Dred Scott failed in suing before his case was presented in the Supreme Court. Roger B. Taney was the fifth chief Justice of the United States when he wrote the Dred Scott vs Sandford decision. The Dred Scott vs Sandford case ended with the decision that African Americans, free and enslaved, had no rights and could not become citizens because they were property.

    Read More

  • Dred Scott Case Of 1857

    980 Words  | 4 Pages

    The court also argued that Scott's as a citizen of a free state did not make him a US citizen. He could not clarify as an American citizen because he was black. The decision in Dred Scott v Sandford raised tension between the North and

    Read More

  • The Dred Scott Decision And Bleeding Kansas

    756 Words  | 4 Pages

    This decision angered both northerners and southerners. The North was upset due to the decision, which declared that black Americans didn’t count as citizens, which made no effort in the abolition of slavery. The South’s issue was that the majority of their state population was African American, and would give them less representatives if they did not count as citizens, or people in general. This affected the election of Abraham Lincoln, which led to the South’s succession and the start of the

    Read More

  • The Expansion Of Slavery And The Civil War

    94 Words  | 1 Pages

    The end result of the Dred Scott decision was Chief Justice Roger Taney 's decision that Congress did not possess the jurisdiction to stop slavery from spreading into other territories, even if they were considered free. Even worse, any free Black could now be allowably forced into slavery. Being forced into slavery was also seen as being beneficial to the free Blacks. Instead of reaching a decision as President Buchanan had hoped, it had started a rapid expansion of the conflict. This rapid expansion over the issue of slavery eventually led to the Civil War.

    Read More

  • Dred Scott Decision Research Paper

    359 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thus, the decision prevented free blacks from advancing in society. The constitution did not apply to them, which consequently developed a lot of confusion and created problems the future free blacks and slaves in the United States. Last of all, even though free blacks were considered as free men, the court failed to recognize them as citizens. This meant that free blacks still did not receive the rights they deserved. The Dred Scott decision was to define the free black’s status and define what rights they did and did not have, since the constitution did not apply to them.

    Read More

  • Supreme Court Case Essay

    537 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dred Scott was sued for his freedom on the grounds that he had lived for a time in a "free" territory. The Court ruled against him, saying that under the Constitution, he was his master 's property. The people involved with this court case are the Supreme Court,Dred Scott, and Chief Justice Roger B. The final judgment for this case ended up in Dred Scott 's favor.

    Read More

  • Manifest Destiny Definition

    988 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sanford illustrated a consequence of Manifest Destiny as well. What began as one man’s desire for freedom completely changed the status of every slave and free black person in the United States. In fact, the Dred Scott decision ruled that the black slaves of the country were not even technically citizens. This ruling repulsed many of the Northerners that were against slavery. , further increasing the tensions between the North and the South.

    Read More

  • Cause Of The Civil War Essay

    685 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dred Scott was a slave who attempted to gain his freedom. Scott was owned by a man for the early part of his life, and then was sold to a new man once his original owner died (Tindall 672). He followed his new owner around the country, and lived in several free states (Tindall 672). Once his second owner died, Scott filed for his freedom (Tindall 672). After going through a rigorous process, the court finally decided that Scott had no grounds for his case because he was not actually a citizen (Tindall 672).

    Read More

More about Dred Scott V. Sandford Summary

Open Document