Dred Scott V. Sanford

Dred Scott V. Sanford was a Supreme Court case that weakened the courts reputation, and the American people's trust for many years to come. It was also considered to be the Supreme Court's largest "self-inflicted wound."

It was a case between a former slave named Dred Scott and John F.A. Sanford. In it, Dred Scott, who was living in a free state, was not granted freedom. The court concluded that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional, and that blacks would never become American citizens. This was a very poor decision, and pushed the country towards civil war.

So basically, Dred Scott was a slave owned by a man named John Emerson in Missouri. Since Emerson was involved in the military, and took Dred Scott from Missouri to Illinois and then Wisconsin (both of which were free states). After Emerson died, Dred Scott returned to Missouri with Emerson's widow and tried to purchase his freedom from her. The widow denied Scott his freedom, so he filed a lawsuit to the Missouri state court. Emerson left Missouri and gave Dred Scott away to her new Husband John F.A. Sanford. This is when the case went up to the Supreme Court.

The decision, as you already know, went against Dred Scott, and two justices wrote "devastating" critiques of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney's poor argument and lack of judgement on the case.

Dred Scott never gained freedom through the courts, but from the Blow family buying and freeing him in 1857. Thankfully, when the court makes unjust decisions like this, the people have the power to negate and undue them.