A lot of people don’t give enough credit to Dred Scott for helping stop slavery. Dred Scott made a huge difference as he helped start a rally to get Abraham Lincoln elected as president and give African Americans freedom. During the 1780s, the question of whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories had threatened the Union. Over the years, many compromises had been made because they wanted to avoid disunion. People wondered what the constitution would say on this subject. This question was raised in 1857 in front of the Supreme Court in the case of Dred Scott vs. Sandford (“The Dred Scott Decision [ushistory.org]”).
Dred Scott was born into slavery around 1795 in Virginia near Southampton County. He made history when he tried to gain his freedom. When his first owner died, Scott spent time in two free states working for many different owners. He first lived in Missouri and then made his way to Wisconsin. Soon after he married, he tried to gain freedom for him and his family. He ended up failing, so he took his case to the Missouri courts, …show more content…
Although he wasn’t alive for much longer, he made a huge difference. As his case made news across the nation, people began to take notice. Around the time of his case, there were multiple men running for president. One of those men was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln made promises to help pursue freedom for slaves. Scott’s case proved that there needed to be changes. People began to rally to get him elected because of his case. This mostly affected people in the North. Most Northerners were okay with slavery in the United States as long as it stayed in the South. This case showed that the Supreme Court could say anyone was a slave no matter where they lived. They were worried about slavery spreading into the North which led to Lincoln’s election. This ties to the Civil War, because after Abraham Lincoln was elected, the Civil War was started to help pursue
Dred Scott was born into slavery around 1795 in Virginia near Southampton County. He made history when he tried to gain his freedom. When his first owner died, Scott spent time in two free states working for many different owners. He first lived in Missouri and then made his way to Wisconsin. Soon after he married, he tried to gain freedom for him and his family. He ended up failing, so he took his case to the Missouri courts, …show more content…
Although he wasn’t alive for much longer, he made a huge difference. As his case made news across the nation, people began to take notice. Around the time of his case, there were multiple men running for president. One of those men was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln made promises to help pursue freedom for slaves. Scott’s case proved that there needed to be changes. People began to rally to get him elected because of his case. This mostly affected people in the North. Most Northerners were okay with slavery in the United States as long as it stayed in the South. This case showed that the Supreme Court could say anyone was a slave no matter where they lived. They were worried about slavery spreading into the North which led to Lincoln’s election. This ties to the Civil War, because after Abraham Lincoln was elected, the Civil War was started to help pursue