6 mar 1857 año - Dred Scott v Sandford

Descripción:

Dred Scott was a slave who spent many years in Minnesota before moving back to Missouri. Scott was a very intelligent man, and knew that there was a precedent for "once free, always free", so he began the path to the Supreme Court. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled against him; the ruling had three parts. First of all, black people didn't have rights in federal courts, so he wasn't even really allowed to petition for his freedom. Second, it declared that "once free, always free" shouldn't be required to be followed. Lastly, the Court declared that that Wisconsin Territory (present day Minnesota) shouldn't be a non-slave state because Congress shouldn't be allowed to make that decision. In the end, despite an unfavorable ruling, Dred Scott and his wife and family ended up freed. It also added to the tensions that would cause the Civil War.