Dred Scott Summary: The Dred Scott Cases

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Dred Scott, a slave, was bought by a man (Sanford) who later moved them to a free state. Scott claimed that he was free based on the grounds that he had been living in a free state as a slave. Sanford said, legally he was a resident of a slave state, so he was not free. The Court ruled that African Americans were not and never would be citizens. Therefore were not entitled to the freedom Scott was seeking, and he could not pursue legal action against his owner as he was attempting. Scott sued again in federal court, claiming Missouri citizenship. Scott’s lawyers eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. He was granted freedom 3 months after the original trial, where he was denied this. The Dred Scott case showed that slaves would still

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