Dred Scott

Dred Scott was born around 1799. He lived in Southampton, Virginia. He was an African-American. He was a slave. A white man named Peter Blow owned him. Dred Scott worked on his master’s farm. He farmed. He fixed things on the farm. He also helped to load and unload ships for his master. Peter Blow moved from Virginia to Huntsville, Alabama. He took Dred Scott with him. Then Peter Blow moved to St. Louis, Missouri. He took Dred Scott with him. Virginia, Alabama, and Missouri were all states that allowed slavery.

Dred Scott ’s owner died in St. Louis in 1831. John Emerson bought Dred Scott. John Emerson was a doctor in the U.S. Army. The army sent John Emerson to Illinois. He took Dred Scott with him. Then the army sent John Emerson to the territory of Wisconsin. He took Dred Scott with him. Illinois and Wisconsin territory did not allow slavery.

Dred Scott got married.

Dred and Harriet Scott had two children.

In 1838, John Emerson moved back to St. Louis. He took Dred Scott and his family with him. John Emerson died in 1843. Dred Scott now worked for John Emerson’s wife, Irene, and her brother. Her brother was John Sanford. John Sanford lived in New York.

Dred Scott went to court in St. Louis for his freedom. He said that he should be free because he lived in places where there was no slavery. He lost in Missouri courts. He had moved back to Missouri. In Missouri, slavery was allowed. But his owner, John Sanford, lived in another state. So Dred Scott could go into federal courts. He would go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decided that he was still a slave. Dred Scott v. Sanford was an important Supreme Court case.

After the case, his owners freed Dred Scott and his family. They lived in St. Louis.

Dred Scott died on September 17, 1858.

Author: Greg Hornback
Source: Dred Scott site, Washington University in St. Louis
Images from the Library of Congress