Dred Scott V. Sandford Case Study

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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) It was decided by the Supreme Court, in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, that Americans of African descent were not considered American citizens and could not sue in federal court. In 1833, Dr. John Emerson purchased a slave named Dred Scott and moved him to the Wisconsin Territory and then to St. Louis in 1840. Emerson died 3 years later leaving Scott and his family to his wife, Eliza Sandford. For years, Scott found work for himself while his owner was away and used that money in attempt to buy his freedom from Eliza, but she refused. Scott then sued Eliza in a state court saying that he was legally free since he had lived in a territory in which slavery was banned. The state court declared him free