may 1, 1857 - Dred Scott Decision

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Dred Scott was a slave to an army surgeon. They lived in Illinois, which was a free state. Dred Scott went to court and argued that he should be free, because under the Missouri Compromise, slavery was prohibited. The court, however, ruled that he was still a slave. Chief Justice Taney tried to give a legal reason as to why he made his decision. The northerners did not accept his reasoning. The northerners accused Taney and President Buchanan as part of the slave-power conspiracy.

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