Dred Scott V. Sandford Summary

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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