The Supreme Court Case That Led to The Civil War | Dred Scott v. Sandford

Mr. Beat

2 Jun 201707:20

Summary

TLDRThe Dred Scott case, spanning from 1830 to 1857, involved a slave seeking freedom after living in free territories. Despite initial success in a Missouri court, the decision was overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court and later the US Supreme Court, which ruled against Scott, denying his citizenship and upholding slavery. The ruling intensified sectional tensions, contributing to the Civil War. Despite the court's decision, Scott was freed by his owner shortly after, but he died the following year without seeing the subsequent legal overturning of the ruling.

Takeaways

🕍 Dr. John Emerson, a U.S. Army surgeon, purchased Dred Scott as a slave between 1830 and 1833.
📍 Emerson moved with Scott to Illinois, a free state, and later to Wisconsin, a free territory, which raised questions about Scott's status.
💑 Dred Scott married Harriet Robinson, another slave, while in Wisconsin.
🏠 Emerson returned to Missouri, a slave state, and later died, leaving his wife Irene to inherit Scott and his family.
💼 Dred and Harriet Scott attempted to buy their freedom but were unsuccessful.
📜 The Scotts sued Irene Emerson for their freedom in 1846 but lost the case on a technicality.
🏛️ They were granted freedom after a second trial in 1850, but this decision was overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court.
📈 Dred Scott sued again in federal court in 1853, this time against Irene's brother, John Sanford, who had become his owner.
🏢 The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court as Dred Scott v. Sandford, with a misspelling of Sanford's name.
🏁 The Supreme Court ruled against Scott in 1857, stating that he was not a citizen and had no right to sue, and that Congress could not ban slavery in territories.
🔄 The Dred Scott Decision intensified sectional tensions and is considered one of the worst Supreme Court rulings, leading to the Civil War.
🏆 Despite the ruling, the Scotts were eventually freed, and Dred Scott worked at a hotel before his death shortly after gaining freedom.

Q & A

Who was Dred Scott and what was his initial status?
-Dred Scott was a slave purchased by Dr. John Emerson, a United States Army surgeon, sometime between 1830 and 1833.
Why was Dred Scott's relocation to Illinois significant?
-Dred Scott's relocation to Illinois was significant because Illinois was a free state where slavery was illegal, which later became a key point in his legal battles for freedom.
What happened when Dred Scott moved to Wisconsin territory?
-When Dred Scott moved to the territory of Wisconsin, which is now part of Minnesota, he was again in an area where slavery was illegal, further complicating his status.
Who did Dred Scott marry and under what circumstances?
-Dred Scott married Harriet Robinson, another slave owned by Lawrence Taliaferro, while they were both in the Wisconsin territory where slavery was illegal.
How did Dred Scott's legal battles for freedom begin?
-Dred Scott's legal battles for freedom began when he and his wife Harriet, with the help of legal advisors, sued Irene Emerson, the widow of John Emerson, on April 6, 1846, to obtain freedom from slavery.
What was the outcome of Dred Scott's first lawsuit?
-The first lawsuit resulted in a loss for the Scotts due to a technicality; they could not prove they were actually Irene Emerson's slaves.
Why did the Missouri Supreme Court reverse the decision granting Dred Scott his freedom?
-The Missouri Supreme Court reversed the decision because it argued that the Scotts were still slaves and should have sued for freedom when they had the chance while living in a free state.
What was the main question that Roswell Field wanted the Supreme Court to settle?
-Roswell Field wanted the Supreme Court to settle whether living in a free state or territory permanently freed a slave.
Why was the Supreme Court case known as Dred Scott v. Sandford instead of Dred Scott v. Sanford?
-The case was known as Dred Scott v. Sandford due to a clerk's error in spelling John Sanford's name in the court records, which was never corrected.
What was the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford and what were its implications?
-The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of Sanford, denying Dred Scott and his family their freedom. The Court also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional and ruled that Congress lacked the power to ban slavery in U.S. territories.
How did the Dred Scott Decision contribute to the tensions leading up to the Civil War?
-The Dred Scott Decision intensified the divide between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, solidifying the North's opposition to slavery and contributing to the tensions that eventually led to the Civil War.
What was the eventual fate of Dred Scott and his family after the Supreme Court's decision?
-Despite the Supreme Court's decision, Dred Scott and his family were freed a couple of months later. Scott found employment at a St. Louis hotel, but he died the following year without living to see the overturning of the decision through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Outlines

00:00

🏛 Dred Scott's Legal Battles for Freedom

The paragraph details the life of Dred Scott, a slave owned by Dr. John Emerson, a U.S. Army surgeon. It outlines Scott's journey from Missouri to Illinois, a free state, and then to Wisconsin, another free territory, where he married Harriet Robinson. The narrative describes how Scott and his family were moved back to Missouri and the subsequent legal battles they fought for their freedom. Despite attempts to buy their freedom and two trials that initially favored them, the Missouri Supreme Court reversed their freedom, arguing they should have sued when they lived in a free state. The case escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court as Dred Scott v. Sandford, where the court ruled against Scott, denying him and his family their freedom and declaring the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

05:03

📜 The Impact of the Dred Scott Decision

This paragraph discusses the aftermath of the Dred Scott decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which not only denied Scott his freedom but also had far-reaching implications. The court's ruling that slaves were property and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in U.S. territories was a significant blow to the anti-slavery movement and further divided the nation, contributing to the causes of the Civil War. Despite Justice Roger Taney's hope for a resolution, his majority opinion was widely criticized and is often cited as one of the worst Supreme Court rulings. The decision led to one justice, Benjamin Robbins Curtis, resigning from the court. Although the Civil War and subsequent amendments would overturn the ruling, Dred Scott himself did not live to see this. However, he and his family were freed a few months after the Supreme Court's decision, and Scott worked at a St. Louis hotel before his death the following year.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Dred Scott

Dred Scott was an African American slave who is the central figure of the video's narrative. He is significant because his legal battles for freedom became a landmark case in U.S. history. The video details his journey from being a slave to fighting for his freedom in various courts, which ultimately led to the infamous Dred Scott Decision by the Supreme Court.

💡Slavery

Slavery was a system of forced labor where people were treated as property and had no personal rights. In the context of the video, it is the institution that Dred Scott was subjected to. His attempts to gain freedom from slavery form the core of the video's story, highlighting the legal and societal struggles of the time.

💡Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise was an agreement between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the U.S. Congress in 1820 that prohibited slavery in certain territories. The video mentions that the Supreme Court later declared this compromise unconstitutional, which was a pivotal moment leading to increased sectional tensions.

💡Free State

A free state, as mentioned in the video, refers to a U.S. state where slavery was illegal. Dred Scott's time in Illinois, a free state, becomes a critical point in his legal battles, as it was argued whether his residence there should have granted him freedom.

💡Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary and has the power to interpret the Constitution. In the video, the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford is a key event, as it ruled against Scott's freedom and had significant implications for the legality of slavery.

💡Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is mentioned at the end of the video, prohibited denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It is one of the Reconstruction Amendments that aimed to grant former slaves civil rights, effectively overturning aspects of the Dred Scott Decision.

💡Civil War

The American Civil War was a conflict fought between 1861 and 1865, primarily over the issues of slavery and states' rights. The video suggests that the Dred Scott Decision contributed to the divisions that led to the Civil War, as it intensified the debate over slavery.

💡Legal Advisor

Legal advisors, as referenced in the video, are professionals who provide guidance on legal matters. Dred and Harriet Scott's legal advisors played a crucial role in their fight for freedom, helping them navigate the complex legal landscape of the time.

💡Property

In the context of the video, slaves were considered property under the law. The Supreme Court's ruling that slaves were property and thus could not be deprived of their status without due process was a controversial decision that further entrenched the institution of slavery.

💡Cholera Epidemic

A cholera epidemic refers to a widespread outbreak of the disease cholera. The video mentions that such an epidemic, along with other factors, caused delays in the legal proceedings of Dred Scott's case, illustrating the many obstacles he faced in seeking justice.

💡Civil Rights Act of 1866

The Civil Rights Act of 1866, mentioned towards the end of the video, was a federal law that sought to protect the rights of all citizens, including former slaves. It was part of the broader effort to reverse the effects of the Dred Scott Decision and ensure equal rights under the law.

Highlights

Dr. John Emerson buys a slave named Dred Scott.

Emerson moves to Illinois, a free state, with Scott in 1836.

Dred Scott marries Harriet Robinson in Wisconsin, another free territory.

Emerson leaves Dred and Harriet in free territory, leasing them to other officers.

Emerson marries Irene Sanford in Louisiana.

Harriet gives birth to a child in free territory during a move.

The Scotts return to Missouri and Emerson dies in 1843.

Dred and Harriet Scott attempt to buy their freedom but fail.

The Scotts sue Irene Emerson for freedom on April 6, 1846.

The Scotts lose their first case due to a technicality.

The Scotts win their second trial, granted freedom by the jury.

Emerson's lawyers appeal, and the Missouri Supreme Court reverses the decision.

Dred Scott sues again in federal court on November 2, 1853.

The Supreme Court agrees to hear the case in February 1856.

The Supreme Court rules against Scott, denying his family's freedom.

The Court rules that Scott was not a citizen and the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

Justice Roger Taney writes the majority opinion, declaring slaves as 'property'.

The Dred Scott Decision is seen as a cause of the Civil War and is criticized heavily.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, along with the Civil Rights Act of 1866, overturn the decision.

The Scotts are freed a couple months after the Supreme Court's decision.

Dred Scott dies the year after gaining his freedom.