Dred Scott Court Case (jan 1, 1846 – jan 1, 1857)

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Dred Scott was a black slave who sued for his freedom with the claim that because he had previously lived somewhere without slavery, he would always be free. After many years, the result of the case shook the world. It was decided that all people of African descent were not U.S. citizens and could not sue, it protected and upheld slavery, and declared Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. These radical ideas shaped the years leading up to the Civil War.

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