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Dred Scott Dred Scot was a black slave who pursued his freedom through the court system of America. In 1857, the USA Supreme Court made a decision denying Scott his plea, making it clear that no Negro, the label used for African slaves, could ever attain the United States Citizenship. The court ruling also nullified the Missouri Compromise established in 1820, which had created limitations to slavery in given territories in the US. Northern objectors were annoyed. The case became their rallying point, contributing to Abraham Lincoln’s election as the president of the US in 1860 (Fehrenbacher, 2001). Scott’s birth dates back to around 1800 in the state of Virginia, as Peter Blow’s slave. Two years later, Blow passed away, and Scott took under the ownership of John Emerson, a doctor in the army. When Dr. Emerson was transferred to the State of Illinois, he carried Scott along. In 1818, Illinois joined the Union, and its constitution changed, creating restrictions to slavery. After Dr. Emerson died in 1843, Scott offered Mrs. Emerson $300 for his freedom and that of his wife Harriet, but she refused. Scott, therefore, took to court, claiming they were free having lived in an open state for a long time. His first case was, however, tossed out in 1847 since he could not prove that they were Mrs. Emerson’s property (Fehrenbacher, 2001). Scott and Harriet were granted freedom in a retrial done in 1850. The liberty was then taken away two years later by the Missouri Supreme Court. Dred Scott became significant in the American History through his 1857 trial that unveiled a series of events that would then see him gain his freedom and the abolishment of slavery as
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