mar 6, 1857 - Dred Scott Decision
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Dred Scott was a slave who was the property of a man named Sandford. Scott traveled with him to Illinois and Wisconsin, free states. When they got back to Missouri, Scott sued, claiming that as he had lived in a free state, he was free. The case, over twenty years, found its way to the Supreme Court. Abolitionists latched on to this as a way to get rid of slavery, and funded Scott's defense. In one of the most infamous decisions in US history, Chief Justice Roger Taney came up with a verdict that since Dred Scott was property and not a citizen, he was not allowed to sue. Furthermore, he declared that it was not in the Federal Government's powers to prohibit slavery, as that was taking away property from a private citizen and could not be done without a good reason. This decision was immensely controversial and furthered the rift between North and South. It was eventually disregarded.
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