Dred Scott took Emerson and Sanford to court to sue for his freedom. He argued that his time living in free territories entitled him to be considered a free man. Scott wanted the court to rule in his favor and grant him his freedom.
Army surgeon Dr. John Emerson owned Scott. He died before the Dred Scott case was over. His widow appealed the case after his death which ended up in the Supreme Court which decided the Scott should not be freed.
Dred Scott sued John Emerson's widow, Irene Sanford, for his freedom because he claimed that living in a free state and territory had made him legally free. Scott sought to establish his freedom and that of his family members.
John Sanford, defendant in the landmark case Scott v. Sanford, (1857), was brother of Dr. Emerson's widow, Irene Emerson (Chaffee), and executor of Dr. John Emerson's estate.ExplanationDr. Emerson was a military physician who purchased Dred Scott from Peter Blow sometime around 1832. Emerson later met and married Eliza Irene Sanford (called Irene) in 1841, while stationed at a military post in Louisiana. When Emerson died in 1843, "ownership" of Dred Scott and his family passed to his widow, Irene.Dred and Harriet Scott originally sued Irene Emerson for their freedom in St. Louis County Circuit Court in July 1847. Irene later moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, leaving her brother, John Sanford in charge of the ongoing legal battle.Although Chief Justice Taney described John Sanford as the Scotts' owner, this appears to be either a misunderstanding, or a misrepresentation initiated by Sanford and/or his legal team.In 1857, the year the Supreme Court ruled on the Scott v. Sanford case, Irene Emerson married Dr. Chaffee, an abolitionist and US Senator who was completely unaware that his wife owned the most famous slave in the United States. Chaffee discovered his wife owned the Scott family shortly before the Court delivered its verdict.When Dred Scott lost, Chaffee arranged for ownership to be transferred from Irene to Taylor Blow (son Peter Blow), who emancipated the family in May 1857. Chaffee's involvement in the transfer tends to support the idea that Sanford had no legal claim to the Scott family, and only had standing in Court by virtue of his status as executor.Court Citation:Dred Scott v. Sandford*, 60 US 393 (1857)* Proper spelling of the last name is Sanford, not Sandford. The Court made a clerical error that survived to the printed edition of United States Reports, the official government reporter of Supreme Court decisions, and therefore cannot be corrected.
The court case was Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857. Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom in the United States Supreme Court after his master died, but the court ruled against him, stating that slaves were property and not entitled to citizenship.
The Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) ruled that African Americans were not citizens and therefore could not sue in federal court. Additionally, the Court declared that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, as it violated the Fifth Amendment rights of slave owners by depriving them of their property.
Which statement best describes the Dred Scott v. Sanford Supreme Court decision?
Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia between 1795 and 1800. In 1846 he sued his owner for his freedom. The lawsuit was dismissed. In 1853, he sued again, this time in federal court. The defendant was John Sanford, the executor of John Emerson's estate (Emerson was Scott's owner). The Supreme Court found in favor of Sanford by a vote of 7-2.
Dred Scott
A widow, Irene Emerson. The court case was called Scott v. Emerson.
Army surgeon Dr. John Emerson owned Scott. He died before the Dred Scott case was over. His widow appealed the case after his death which ended up in the Supreme Court which decided the Scott should not be freed.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
The Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sanford did not decide if Dred Scott was a slave or not, but that slaves (and their descendants) could not be counted as US citizens and had no right to sue in court.
Dred Scott sued John Emerson's widow, Irene Sanford, for his freedom because he claimed that living in a free state and territory had made him legally free. Scott sought to establish his freedom and that of his family members.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
John Sanford, defendant in the landmark case Scott v. Sanford, (1857), was brother of Dr. Emerson's widow, Irene Emerson (Chaffee), and executor of Dr. John Emerson's estate.ExplanationDr. Emerson was a military physician who purchased Dred Scott from Peter Blow sometime around 1832. Emerson later met and married Eliza Irene Sanford (called Irene) in 1841, while stationed at a military post in Louisiana. When Emerson died in 1843, "ownership" of Dred Scott and his family passed to his widow, Irene.Dred and Harriet Scott originally sued Irene Emerson for their freedom in St. Louis County Circuit Court in July 1847. Irene later moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, leaving her brother, John Sanford in charge of the ongoing legal battle.Although Chief Justice Taney described John Sanford as the Scotts' owner, this appears to be either a misunderstanding, or a misrepresentation initiated by Sanford and/or his legal team.In 1857, the year the Supreme Court ruled on the Scott v. Sanford case, Irene Emerson married Dr. Chaffee, an abolitionist and US Senator who was completely unaware that his wife owned the most famous slave in the United States. Chaffee discovered his wife owned the Scott family shortly before the Court delivered its verdict.When Dred Scott lost, Chaffee arranged for ownership to be transferred from Irene to Taylor Blow (son Peter Blow), who emancipated the family in May 1857. Chaffee's involvement in the transfer tends to support the idea that Sanford had no legal claim to the Scott family, and only had standing in Court by virtue of his status as executor.Court Citation:Dred Scott v. Sandford*, 60 US 393 (1857)* Proper spelling of the last name is Sanford, not Sandford. The Court made a clerical error that survived to the printed edition of United States Reports, the official government reporter of Supreme Court decisions, and therefore cannot be corrected.
John Sanford, defendant in the landmark case Scott v. Sanford, (1857), was brother of Dr. Emerson's widow, Irene Emerson (Chaffee), and executor of Dr. John Emerson's estate.ExplanationDr. Emerson was a military physician who purchased Dred Scott from Peter Blow sometime around 1832. Emerson later met and married Eliza Irene Sanford (called Irene) in 1841, while stationed at a military post in Louisiana. When Emerson died in 1843, "ownership" of Dred Scott and his family passed to his widow, Irene.Dred and Harriet Scott originally sued Irene Emerson for their freedom in St. Louis County Circuit Court in July 1847. Irene later moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, leaving her brother, John Sanford in charge of the ongoing legal battle.Although Chief Justice Taney described John Sanford as the Scotts' owner, this appears to be either a misunderstanding, or a misrepresentation initiated by Sanford and/or his legal team.In 1857, the year the Supreme Court ruled on the Scott v. Sanford case, Irene Emerson married Dr. Chaffee, an abolitionist and US Senator who was completely unaware that his wife owned the most famous slave in the United States. Chaffee discovered his wife owned the Scott family shortly before the Court delivered its verdict.When Dred Scott lost, Chaffee arranged for ownership to be transferred from Irene to Taylor Blow (son Peter Blow), who emancipated the family in May 1857. Chaffee's involvement in the transfer tends to support the idea that Sanford had no legal claim to the Scott family, and only had standing in Court by virtue of his status as executor.Court Citation:Dred Scott v. Sandford*, 60 US 393 (1857)* Proper spelling of the last name is Sanford, not Sandford. The Court made a clerical error that survived to the printed edition of United States Reports, the official government reporter of Supreme Court decisions, and therefore cannot be corrected.
Dred Scott was found guilty in the Dred Scott v. Sanford case. This caused the African Americans to not be allowed to fight for freedom in court.