Dred Scott and his wife Harriot were slaves who belonged to the army Dr. Emerson. Over the course of their enslavement Dr. Emerson traveled with them throughout states in the Northern region were slavery was prohibited. Scott and his wife eventually settled in St. Louis with the Emerson’s after Emerson retired. In 1846 after Dr. Emerson’s unexpected death Scott filed a petition for his freedom with the St. Louis courts. Scott’s lawyers were dependent on the ruling in the Winny vs. Whiteside case in which determined that slave who was taken by their owners to states that did not allow slavery for extended periods of time should be therefore granted freedom. Many cases tried after the Winny vs Whiteside case such as Rachel vs Walker ruled in favor of the slave on accounts of that decision. Missouri courts also ruled in favor of the slave and in turn granted Scott his freedom. The victory was short lived because in 1849 Emerson’s brother in law filed an appeal with the Missouri Supreme Court and on accounts of the decision made in the Strader vs. Emerson case Scott’s original ruling was overturned and his freedom was revoked by Supreme Court Justice Roger B Taney. In delivering the Supreme Court …show more content…
The Scott decision became known as the lawsuit that started the Civil War. The decision of the Supreme Court ruled against Scott set the North on fire. Northerners were upset with the decision, and publications began publishing article to make their opinions known. Northern legislators began passing laws stating that no man was property and any slave that stepped on Northern soil will be free. Southern publications began to post article raving about the decision and its fairness. The southern states believed that the decision supported the Constitution as written and that the northern states needed to get on board or there would be disunion within the