Dred Scott Court Case
1Who was involved? Think about the people or groups who were involved and affected by this event.___
2What happened? Summarize the event!____
3Where did the event take place?___
4When did the event take place? ___
5Why is this event important to Georgia’s history? ___
1. The people involved in the Dred Scott Court Case were Dred Scott, a slave who sued for his freedom, his wife Harriet, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney who wrote the majority opinion, and the United States Supreme Court.
2. Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in free states and territories with his owner, which prompted him to believe that he should be granted his freedom. In 1857, the Supreme Court heard his case, and Chief Justice Taney ruled that slaves were considered property and could not sue in federal courts. The decision also stated that slaves were property and could be taken into any territory or state by their owners, regardless of whether slavery was legal there or not.
3. The event took place in the United States Supreme Court in Washington D.C.
4. The Dred Scott Court Case took place from 1856 to 1857.
5. The Dred Scott decision had significant implications for Georgia's history and the entire nation. It further entrenches the institution of slavery, denying enslaved people any legal rights or protections. The ruling angered abolitionists and fueled the tensions between the North and South, ultimately contributing to the growing divide and leading to the American Civil War.