Dred Scott
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
- Categories: Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Law, Legal History, Courts
- Subcategories: African Americans, Blacks, Civil Rights, Minority Rights, Minorities, Court Cases, Rulings, Appeals, Trials, Judges, Lawyers, Slavery, Slaves, Supreme Court, U.S.
- Curriculum: African American History, American History 1816-1855, American Civil War & Reconstruction Era (1856-1877)
Article abstract: Scott instigated a legal challenge to the definition of “citizenship” for black people in the United States. His challenge led to the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, which became a step toward Civil War and the end of slavery.
Early Life
Dred Scott was most likely born sometime around 1795 in Virginia, although no actual documents remain to substantiate this. He was born a slave, and little information about him exists in the official record until he reached adulthood. Scott probably arrived in St. Louis,...
[The entire page is 1997 words long]
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