0
It's unlikely there was any real violence in the Dred Scott case. Dred Scott sued for his freedom from Irene Emerson, widow of the late Dr. Emerson, who purchased Scott from the Blow family in 1834. Emerson was a doctor in the US Army, stationed at various posts in the Midwest and upper South. Among the places Dr. Emerson and Dred Scott lived were Rock Island, Illinois, a "free state," and several US territories with anti-slaverly laws. Scott (and his wife) was supposed to be free by virtue of having lived in those areas under the "once free, always free" doctrine. But he didn't exercise that option, and was once again living in Missouri slave-holding territory at the time Dr. Emerson died. This supposedly transferred his ownership as part of the estate to Dr. Emerson's widow, Irene.
Scott tried to buy his and his family's freedom from Irene, but she refused. He then took her to court to sue for his freedom in Scott v. Emerson, (1847) (this pre-dated the Scott v. Sanford, (1857) case).
Part of Scott's defense was that, in addition to kidnapping and illegal imprisonment, Mrs. Emerson physically abused him and his family, which was a common legal strategy at the time (just as women once had to allege intolerable cruelty to be freed from their husbands in the days before no-fault divorce). Cruelty charges often made the jury more sympathetic to the Plaintiff.
Irene Emerson was not known to be a violent person, and there are no known physical descriptions of any Scott family member displaying the bruises or marks of abuse claimed in the legal documentation.
Case Citation:
Scott v. Sandford, 60 US 393 (1857)
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What group was benefited most by dred Scott decision?
Southerners benefited the most from the Dred Scott Decision.
Who was the most known slave?
Dred Scott.
What is Dred Scott's home town?
Dred Scott was originally born in Southampton County, Virginia. He lived most of his life and died in St. Louis, MO.
What is Dred Scott's home town?
Dred Scott was originally born in Southampton County, Virginia. He lived most of his life and died in St. Louis, MO.
When did dred scott die?
No one is certain when Dred Scott was born, but most historians estimate the year to be c. 1799. Virtually nothing is known of Scott's early life.
How did Dred Scott CASE affect the civil war?
The Dred Scott Decision helped lead to the Civil War because it caused fighting between the North and South. The North was angry because people in the north had decided not to allow slavery in their states, and the Dred Scott decision allowed slaves to be brought into their states. The Dred Scott decision basically said that if a slave was brought to a free state they were still a slave because they were property. so even a free state wasn't really free. Most southerners were happy with the decision because it allowed them to take slaves with them to free states and territories and reinforced the idea that slaves had no rights as U.S. citizens. Dred Scott's case caused more trouble between the North and South.
Why did the Dred Scott decision alarm Northerners?
The Dred Scott decision declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional and ruled that slaves were property. The decision did not necessarily alarm most people in the North.
When and Where did Dred Scott Born and Die?
No one really knows when Dred Scott was born, since he was a slave and most slaves births were never documented. The time frame, however, is between 1799 and 1810.
Where did Dred Scott go to school?
Dred Scott never went to school because he lived in slavery most of his life. Slaves didn't receive formal education, although a few learned the rudiments of reading and writing from informal tutors. Dred Scott was illiterate, but described as intelligent and possessing great common sense.
Why were most southerner's pleases with the dred Scott decision?
Because it said slavery was protected by the Constitution.
Is a slave free if he moved into a free territory?
This was quite a sticky issue before the Civil War. The most famous legal battle over this was the Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). Dred Scott was a slave who traveled with his master into Illinois, where slavery was illegal. Upon returning to Missouri, where it was legal, Scott sued his master for his freedom. The case eventually made it to SCOTUS, where Scott lost in a 7-2 decision, ultimately meaning that a slave could not be declared free if moved into a free territory. The case is considered by some to be the worst decision ever made by SCOTUS.
3 most important people in antebellum period?
Andrew Jackson Nat Turner Dred Scott
