The Dred Scott Case (1857) ended in a Supreme Court ruling that greatly favored the southern view of slavery and lead to a greater ideological divide between the North and South. Dred Scott was a slave who was taken by his master to the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Upon his return to Missouri, Scott sued the state based on the belief that his time spent in the free states made him a free man. When the case made it to the Supreme Court, the court ruled on the side of Missouri. The Court went on to declare that slaves and freed blacks were not citizens of the United States and did not have the right to sue in the first place. It’s interesting to note that Georgia native, Justice James Moore Wayne, was instrumental in rendering this decision as he concurred with Chief Justice Taney. Maintaining his loyalty to the United States, Wayne remained on the Court for the duration of the war even though the Confederacy deemed him a traitor and seized his property. He was the only justice from the Deep South to remain on the Court during the war years.
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What did the courts rule in regards to Dred Scott's claim of being a freeman?
How did the case push the nation closer to Civil War?
What two Georgians were influential in the decision?
For more information click on the link
What did the courts rule in regards to Dred Scott's claim of being a freeman?
How did the case push the nation closer to Civil War?
What two Georgians were influential in the decision?