1 janv. 1857 - Dred Scott v. Sandford

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The proslavery decision on the Supreme court case Dred Scott v. Sandford, which regarded the freedom of slave Dred Scott, was responsible for exacerbating the sectional crisis taking place during the 1850s. Scott had been taken to Wisconsin, a free territory, from Missouri where he was a slave; he lived in Wisconsin for two years then moved back to Missouri where he made the argument that he was a free man since he had resided on free soil. In 1846, Scott decided to sue Missouri for his freedom to be officially recognized, but after reaching the Supreme Court, the final decision went against Scott.

Some of the reasons they gave to justify this ruling were: Scott did not obtain the right to sue in a federal court since the thinkers behind the Constitution did not intend for African Americans to become citizens that could exercise such rights, Congress did not hold the power to take away property from a person (slaves were considered property), and since slavery was excluded from Northern territories and Wisconsin in the Missouri Compromise, it was considered unconstitutional. This decision infuriated the Republicans of the North and caused many Democrats to later vote Republican.

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