Dred Scott, 1799 - 1858

Dred Scott, 1799 - 1858. Freedom Denied by the United States Supreme Court. Dred Scott was born a slave in Southampton, Virginia. His family was owned by Peter Blow who sold Scott to an army doctor named John Emerson. Dr. Emerson took Scott to live in the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin where, in 1836, Scott married Harriet Robinson. The couple had two daughters and two sons, both of whom died in infancy., In 1843, Scott, who now lived in the slave state of Missouri, attempted to buy his freedom from the widow of Dr. Emerson for $300. His bid for freedom was refused so, in 1847, Scott sued for it in the Missouri courts. After a long series of trials, lasting from 1847 until 1856, in both the Missouri and federal courts, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. , By a vote of 7-2, in a decision written by Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, the court held that Scott, as a black man, was not a citizen and, therefore, did not have any rights of citizenship because the framers had not included any person of African descent as part of the original community of people covered by the Constitution. The decision also held that the Missouri Compromise, which limited slavery in the western territories, was unconstitutional., Scott's fight for freedom was supported by the sons of Peter Blow. After the Supreme Court decision, ownership of the Scotts was transferred to Taylor Blow, who emancipated them on May 26, 1857. Dred Scott died on September 17, 1858, nine months after gaining his freedom. Harriet Scott died in 1876., Painting , Dred Scott , Louis Schultze (1820-1900) , Oil on canvas, 1882 , Missouri History Museum, St. Louis