Dred Scott Case Justice vs Jurisdiction

Dred Scott Case Justice vs Jurisdiction

"Justice v. Jurisdiction, Research Paper on Dred Scott v. Sandford"

Described as being poorly educated, indigent, feeble, and ill prone, Dred Scott seemed consistent with society's definition of the black slave. However, he was an articulate man who changed our society and American standards. Married to Harriet Scott with four (4) children, Dred wanted to provide his family with a sense of dignity and decency that a free man's status would warrant him. He was the cause of a change in how society viewed Negroes. In this research paper you will find out why Dred Scott v. Sandford made every black man ask themselves the question, am I free or have I been deprived of my freedom? Nonetheless, if you read on I can offer you a complete and accurate depiction of Dred Scott v. Sandford and the repercussions that it had upon our society.

John and Irene Emerson were the owners of Dred Scott. However, Peter Blow was the former owner. John took Scott from Illinois (a free state) to Missouri (a slave state).

Scott lived in free soil for approximately four (4) years. Dred Scott demanded his freedom because he felt that he was a resident now of Illinois. If this were accurate then Scott had to be free because it was free soil.

The case later became known as the Dred Scott v. Sandford. At first the case was taken into a federal court with John Emerson as the defendant. Scott had lost the case in the state court. Shortly thereafter John Emerson died. Mrs. Emerson, now a widowed wife, left Dred Scott with John Sanford, who was a New York citizen. John Sanford was sued with the help of the Blows family in a federal court. Eventually, the case was appealed in the Supreme Court. Roger B. Taney, which you will learn later, had an integral impact on the decision. Read on to see more about one of the most vile and dismal days of all time.

That day proved costly not only for Dred Scott, but the entire black population of the United States. The Supreme Court ruled on this March 6, 1857 that slavery was legal in all territories. This ruling was only two (2) days after the presidential election of James Buchanan. Although every justice wrote an opinion, Roger B. Taney's was the most regarded. It was the most highly regarded because of its consequences pertaining to the sectional crisis. Taney wrote in ...

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... destroyed. Ok, we are still a racist and bigot society but we will work on that with time. If more people like us face the issues and fight for our right of opinion the world will go far. Dred Scott v. Sandford showed me more than a case. It showed me that one of the most indigent and uneducated men on this earth made a great impact. He accomplished more than politicians or lawyers with fancy degrees.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Author Unavailable, " Dred Scott Case"., The Reader's Companion to American History, 01-01-1991

Author unavailable, " Dred Scott Commemoration" , St. Louis Post Dispatch, 03-02-1998, pp B1

Author unavailable, " Taney, Roger B." , The Reader's Companion to American History, 01-01-1991

" Dred Scott decision" Encyclopedia Brittanica Online.

[http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?xref=13156&pm=1]

[ Accessed 22 January 2000]

Meier, Peg, " Scott's Life Intrigues Historian, Budding Playright ", Minneapolis Star Tribune, 02-20-1995, pp 04

Morrison, Elliot Samuel. The Oxford History of the American People, New York: Oxford University Publishing Press, 1965

Tabscatt, Robert, " Time to Understand Dred Scott"., St. Louis Post- Dispatch, 10-03-1996, pp 07B