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Dred Scott decision

Dred Scott decision
Dred Scott decision
Learn about Dred Scott and the controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling on his case.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc..
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Transcript

Dred Scott was a slave. From 1834 to 1838, Scott lived with his owner in places where slavery was illegal. He later moved to Missouri, a slave state, with his owner.

After his owner died, Scott claimed he was free because he had lived on free soil. He tried to get the courts to consider him a free man. His court case was carried to the Supreme Court.

In 1857, the court ruled that Scott was still a slave and that African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States. This decision pushed the country closer to civil war.