This case involved a man named Dred Scott. Scott was a slave and lived in the slave state known as Missouri. In 1834 Illinois was considered a free state due to the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Also in the year 1834, Scott was purchased by a white man, and then moved to Illinois with his new owner. The dream was too short for Scott because Scott and his owner eventually returned to Missouri. Dred Scott felt that because he had lived in Illinois, a free slave territory, he should be considered free. Scott took action in 1854 and sued the federal court for his freedom.
A key player in the conclusion of this case was Chief Justice Roger Taney. Taney had two very harsh opinions on Dred Scott and the African American population