John Emerson And The Civil Rights Movement Essay
1041 Words
Jul 11th, 2016
5 Pages
All of the cases and people involved in fighting for equal rights for African Americans played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. We learn about the famous ones who delivered speeches or changed laws but even the boy who participated in a sit-in or the girl who became friends with someone who wasn’t the same color as she was, played a big part in changing how our country view race and rights.
One of the earliest faces of Civil Rights is Dred Scott. He was born into slavery in
Virginia in 1799. In 1836, he was sold to John Emerson. Emerson was an Army Officer and moved a lot taking Dred Scott with him to different Army posts, some in free states and some in slave states. Scott married Harriet who was also a slave. She was signed over to Emerson as a slave from her owner. They both worked for the Emerson’s as slaves for years and the
Emerson’s hired them out to others also as slaves. They both had lived on “Free Soil” for many years. When John Emerson died, he left all of his property to his wife Eliza. By then, Dred had a daughter too and offered to buy himself, his wife and daughter from Mrs. Emerson so they could live as free. She refused and Dred sued for his freedom in 1847. Because he had traveled to Free
States that had laws that when an enslaved person was brought into the state, they became free, he thought this would prove his point and he would win his freedom. The court ruled that Dred was a negro and had no rights at all. He was…
One of the earliest faces of Civil Rights is Dred Scott. He was born into slavery in
Virginia in 1799. In 1836, he was sold to John Emerson. Emerson was an Army Officer and moved a lot taking Dred Scott with him to different Army posts, some in free states and some in slave states. Scott married Harriet who was also a slave. She was signed over to Emerson as a slave from her owner. They both worked for the Emerson’s as slaves for years and the
Emerson’s hired them out to others also as slaves. They both had lived on “Free Soil” for many years. When John Emerson died, he left all of his property to his wife Eliza. By then, Dred had a daughter too and offered to buy himself, his wife and daughter from Mrs. Emerson so they could live as free. She refused and Dred sued for his freedom in 1847. Because he had traveled to Free
States that had laws that when an enslaved person was brought into the state, they became free, he thought this would prove his point and he would win his freedom. The court ruled that Dred was a negro and had no rights at all. He was…