Dred Scott Court Case
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Who was involved? The main people involved in the Dred Scott Court Case were Dred Scott, an enslaved person seeking his freedom, and the Supreme Court of the United States, which had to decide whether Scott was entitled to his freedom.
What happened? Dred Scott was an enslaved person taken by his owner, an Army surgeon, from Missouri, a slave state, to Illinois, a free state, and then to the Wisconsin Territory where slavery was also prohibited. When Scott returned to Missouri, he sued for his freedom on the grounds that his time in free territory had made him free. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which had to decide whether Scott, as an enslaved person, had the right to sue in court and whether his time in free territory made him free. The Supreme Court ruled against Scott, stating that enslaved people were not considered citizens and therefore could not sue in court, and that residing in free territory did not make an enslaved person free.
Where did the event take place? The event primarily took place in Missouri, as that is where Dred Scott and his owner resided, but the legal proceedings eventually reached the Supreme Court, which is located in Washington, D.C.
When did the event take place? The Dred Scott Court Case took place from 1846 to 1857, with the Supreme Court issuing its final decision in March 1857.
Why is this event important to Georgia's history? Although the Dred Scott Court Case did not directly involve Georgia, it had significant implications for the institution of slavery and the status of enslaved people in the United States. The Supreme Court's ruling in the case reinforced the belief that enslaved people were property and did not have rights as citizens. This decision further divided the nation along sectional lines and heightened tensions between the North and the South in the years leading up to the American Civil War.