Other editions of book Dred Scott v. Sandford: A Slave's Case for Freedom and Citizenship

A lawsuit filed in 1846 by Dred Scott, an African-American slave, to gain freedom for himself and his family became a landmark legal case in U.S. history. Scott’s argument that he became free when his owner took him to a free state did not prevail. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he was still a slave, he was not a U.S. citizen, and so he could not sue in federal court. The decision angered many Americans and pushed the country toward civil war.