Today's Little Known Black History Fact

On this day, March 6, in the year 1857, a Supreme Court decision was made which would affect slavery in America and the lives and rights of all blacks for years to come. 

Dred Scott vs. John Sandford (as it became known in the history books) began as Scott vs. Emerson in December of 1846. This was a case of a 50 year old black man who had lived in several Free states, including Illinois and Missouri; had gotten married as a free man, and had a child that was born in a free state.  When his ‘owner’ moved the family to a slave state, Scott attempted to purchase his freedom, but was not allowed to, so he resorted to the court system.  

                                                                     The case became known as Scott vs. Sanford when Irene Emerson transferred ownership of Dred Scott to her brother, John F.A. Sanford.  It continued to wind its way through the courts until 1857 when, after then President-elect James Buchanan exerted his influence on several of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Chief Justice Roger Taney authored a decision, the ramifications of which are still being hotly debated today.    

 

From www.american-historama.org: Definition and Summary: The Dred Scott Decision was {a} sic landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 1857 that effectively ruled that slaves were property. It said that enslaved African-Americans were property and had no rights, and that freed African-Americans were not citizens and had no right to sue in a federal court. In addition, the ruling of the Dred Scott Decision found that Congress could not prohibit slavery from spreading into the western territories. This decision invalidated the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had placed restrictions on slavery in certain U.S. territories.

http://www.american-historama.org/1850-1860-secession-era/dred-scott-decision.htm

 

According to Encyclopedia Britannica:

“Among constitutional scholars, Scott v. Sandford is widely considered the worst decision ever rendered by the Supreme Court. It has been cited in particular as the most egregious example in the court’s history of wrongly imposing a judicial solution on a political problem.”

http://www.britannica.com/event/Dred-Scott-decision

 

There is much more to the story of the Dred Scott decision such as how he won but had the decision reversed; please visit the links below;

1.    1.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford

2.    2.    http://www.britannica.com/event/Dred-Scott-decision

And for the kids:

3.    3.    http://www.american-historama.org/1850-1860-secession-era/dred-scott-decision.htm