Dred Scott for kids: The Origin of the Name
The
Sam Scott adopted the first name "Dred" in memory of his brother who
had died. The name is a derivation of the boy's name 'Eldred'. The
name was a common medieval name and had its origins in Old English.
There was a revival of the name in the 19th century America. The
name increased in popularity in the 20th Century. The full name of
the famous movie star Gregory Peck, is Eldred Gregory Peck.
The Owners of Dred Scott
Dred Scott was an African-American slave born in the slave-state of
Virginia. His first owner was Peter Blow and Sam was raised
alongside the sons of Peter Blow, who would later help in his quest
for freedom. Peter Blow died in 1832 and Dred Scott was sold to
Dr. John Emerson, an
army surgeon. Dr. Emerson died in
1843 and his widow, Eliza Irene Emerson, inherits his slaves. Eliza Irene
Emerson re-marries and in 1850
transfers ownership of Dred Scott and his family to her brother,
John Sanford.
Dred Scott for kids: Moved from state to state
Dred Scott
was moved from state to state according to the will and
circumstances of his owners. His places of residence were as follows:
●
Virginia (a slave state)
●
Alabama (a slave state)
● Missouri (a slave state)
● Fort Armstrong, Illinois (a free state)
● Fort
Snelling, territory of Wisconsin (a free state)
●
Jefferson Barracks Military Post, Missouri (a
slave state)
● Fort
Jesup in Louisiana (a free state)
● St.
Louis, Missouri (a slave state)
Slavery was illegal in some states and territories
Harriet and
Dred Scott therefore lived and were rented as slaves in
states and territories where slavery was illegal
according to the state laws, the terms of the
1787 Northwest Ordinance and the provisions of the
Missouri Compromise.
Dred Scott sues for Freedom
Dred Scott
attempted to sue for his freedom because he had been
taken by his owners to free states and territories.
Dred Scott for kids: The Hiring-out System
Whilst Dred Scott
and his wife Harriet were forced
to move from one location to the next they were often temporarily
leased out, or rented, to 'hirers' under the
Hiring-out System. The
Hiring-out System was a common practice of Southern slave owners which generated revenue from the labor of slaves, rather
than taking the permanent option of selling them. The Hiring-out
System was a convenient option for Dr. Emerson who was able to move
around as his work required and continuously hire out his slaves,
whether they were with him or not. However, under the Hiring-out
System Harriet and Dred Scott were allowed to keep a small part of
the payment for their services and save to buy their freedom.
Dred Scott Decision for kids: Dred Scott attempts to buy his freedom
Over the course of many years Dred Scott saved enough money to buy
his freedom and also purchase the freedom of his wife and two
daughters. He approached his owner,
Eliza Irene Emerson,
but she refused to sell each time she was asked. The slaves were her
property and she had the right to make the sole decision as to
whether they should be sold, or not.
Dred Scott Decision for kids: Filing Suit For
His Freedom
As his owner had refused his offer to
buy his freedom Dred Scott
had no alternative
but to resort to the legal route. He was aided in his quest by
Abolitionists, who included the sons of his original owner, Peter
Blow. Filing suit for his freedom was a complicated and stressful
process. The case was based on they had lived for extended periods
in a free territory, and he had lived in a free state.
Dred Scott Decision for kids: Timeline of Dred Scott
Court Cases
The
Timeline of Dred Scott Court Cases with the dates of the cases, the
courts and the appeals are detailed as follows:
Timeline of Dred Scott
Court Cases
for kids
Court Case Timeline Fact 1:
April 6, 1846:
Harriet and Dred Harriet Scott file petitions in the St.
Louis County Circuit Court, Missouri in Scott v. Emerson
Court Case Timeline Fact 2:
June 30, 1847: Mrs.
Emerson wins the case. The suit was dismissed on a
technicality, Dred Scott was unable to prove he was
owned by Mrs. Emerson
Court Case Timeline Fact 3:
January 12, 1850
Re-trial: Dred Scott is granted his freedom. Eliza Irene
Emerson files an appeal with the Missouri Supreme Court
Court Case Timeline Fact 4:
March 22, 1852: The Missouri Supreme Court reverse the
previous ruling and the Scotts are returned to slavery
Court Case Timeline Fact 5:
November 2, 1853:
Dred Scott sues John Sanford and appeals to the United
States Circuit Court in Missouri, which upholds the
Missouri Supreme Court’s decision (Scott v. Sanford)
Court Case Timeline Fact 6:
May 15, 1854: The
case of Dred Scott comes to trial (Scott v. Sanford)
verdict in favor of John Sanford is appealed to the
United States Supreme Court
Court Case Timeline Fact 7:
February 11, 1856:
First argument before the US Supreme Court
Court Case Timeline Fact 8:
December 15, 1856:
Second argument before the US Supreme Court
Court Case Timeline Fact 9:
March 6, 1857: The US
Supreme Court rules that slaves were property and had no
rights, that freed African-Americans were not citizens
and had no right to sue in a federal court and that
Congress could not prohibit slavery from spreading into
the western territories
Timeline of Dred Scott
Court Cases
for kids
Dred Scott Decision: Court Case Facts
The
arguments presented in the Dred Scott court cases
claimed that:
● His
presence and residence in free territories and free states
required his emancipation
● When the
Missouri Supreme Court reversed the trial court's decision, the
Missouri state precedent was overturned
● The
Missouri Supreme Court held that Dred Scott was legally a slaves
and should have sued for freedom whilst living in a free state
Dred Scott Decision: The Supreme Court Ruling
The Dred Scott Decision
in the Supreme Court ruling was that:
● The United
States Circuit Court did not have jurisdiction on the matters
raised in the case
● The Court also held that the
5th
Amendment barred any law that would deprive a slaveholder of
his property, such as his slaves, even in a free territory
The decision
of the United States Supreme Court, delivered by Chief Justice Roger
Taney, put an end to all hope of compromise on the issue of slavery. Dred Scott had been born a slave and the majority of the Supreme
Court judges pronounced that a person, once a slave, could never
become a citizen of the United States nor bring suit in the United
States courts. They also declared that the
Missouri Compromise was
unlawful and that the owners of slaves had a clear right to carry
their property, including slaves, into the territories, and that
Congress could not stop them.
Significance of the
Dred Scott Decision
The
significance of the Dred Scott Decision was that:
●
Anti-slavery groups feared that slavery would spread unchecked
● The
anti-slavery leaders in the North were furious
and attacked the decision of the Supreme Court with great ferocity
● The newly
formed
Republican Party, renewed their efforts to gain control of
the Congress
● The
Lincoln-Douglas Debates: Abraham Lincoln forced Stephen Douglas
into an open debate about the Dred Scott Case. Abraham Lincoln
subsequently won the 1860 presidential election
● The Dred
Scott Decision was one of the
Causes of the Civil War
●
The
Civil War
raged from 1861-1865.
Dred Scott Decision: Biography and Life Timeline and Facts for kids
Interesting Dred Scott Facts, Biography and Timeline for kids are
detailed below. The history, biography and the life of
Sam “Dred” Scott is told in a
factual biography timeline sequence consisting of a series of short facts
providing a simple method of relating the famous people and events
involved in the court case.
Life of Dred Scott
Timeline and Facts for kids
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 1:
1795: Sam Scott was
born an African-American slave, in Southampton County,
Virginia (a slave state).
His owner was Peter Blow and Sam is brought up with the
sons of Peter Blow, the Blow family move from Virginia
to Alabama and then on to Missouri
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 2:
1820: Peter Blow moves to Missouri, a slave state
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 3:
1832: Peter
Blow dies and Dred
Scott is sold to Dr. John Emerson, an army surgeon and
later taken to live at Fort Armstrong, Illinois
(a free state)
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 4:
1836: Dr. John
Emerson moves from Illinois to Fort Snelling in the
slave-free territory of Wisconsin, taking his slaves
with him.
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 5:
1836: Sam's
brother dies and Sam chooses to take his brother's name
Dred in remembrance
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 6:
1836: Dred marries Harriet Robinson, a slave owned by another army
doctor, at Fort Snelling
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 7:
1837: Dr. Emerson is
receives orders to move to Jefferson Barracks Military
Post, St. Louis, Missouri. He leaves Harriet and Dred Scott at
Fort Snelling where they are temporarily leased to a
hirer under the 'Hiring-out System'
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 8:
1837: Dr. Emerson is
reassigned to Fort Jesup in Louisiana (a free state)
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 9:
1838: February 1837 -
Dr. John Emerson marries Eliza Irene Sanford and sends
for his slaves to join them in Louisiana
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 10:
1838: En route to
Louisiana, Dred's first daughter Eliza was born on a
steamboat on the Mississippi River between the Iowa
Territory and Illinois. Eliza was therefore technically
born as a free person under both federal and state laws
as she was born in free territory.
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 11:
1838: At the end of
the year the Army re-assigns Dr. Emerson back to Fort
Snelling in the territory of Wisconsin and, once again,
everyone moves
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 12:
1840: Dr. Emerson
serves in the Seminole War and Mrs. Eliza Irene Emerson
returns, with the slaves, to St. Louis, Missouri, where
the Scotts are again leased to hirers
Dred Scott Timeline Fact
13: 1842: The birth of
Dred's second daughter, Lizzie
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 14:
1842: Dr. Emerson
leaves the army
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 15:
1843: Dr. John Emerson
dies and his widow, Eliza Irene Emerson inherits his
slaves. Dred Scott attempts to purchase his freedom from
Mrs. Emerson, but she refuses his request and continues
to lease out the Scotts
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 16:
1846: He again
attempts to buy his freedom and again Mrs. Emerson
refuses his request. With the help of the
Abolitionist Movement, he resorts to the legal route
and files for the freedom of himself and his family
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 18:
1846: Dred and
Harriet Scott file petitions in the St. Louis County
Circuit Court, Missouri in Scott v. Emerson
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 17:
1847: The
Scotts lose their first trial on June 30, 1847. In the case,
Scott v. Emerson, the defendant, Eliza Irene Emerson wins.
But the
presiding judge, Alexander Hamilton, provides Dred Scott
with a retrial.
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 18:
1850: Dred
Scott wins
his second trial on January 12, 1850. As a result, Eliza Irene
Emerson files an appeal with the Missouri Supreme Court.
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 19:
1850: Eliza Irene Emerson
remarries. The name of new husband was Calvin C.
Chaffee, an abolitionist, who shortly after their
marriage was elected to the U.S. Congress first as a
member of the Know Nothing party and was re-elected to
Congress as a Republican in 1856
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 20:
1850: Eliza Irene
Emerson Chaffee transfers ownership of the Scotts to her
brother, John F. A. Sanford
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 21:
1852: The Missouri Supreme Court reversed
the previous ruling of the lower court which Dred Scott
had won and on March
22, 1852 the Scotts are returned to slavery
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 22:
1853: Dred Scott sues
John Sanford for his freedom in a federal court
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 23:
1854: The jury found
in favor of John Sanford and Dred Scott appeals to
United States Supreme Court
Dred Scott Timeline Fact
24: 1857: March 6,
1857 - The United States Supreme Court ruling was handed
down on March 6, 1857. Chief Justice Roger Taney gave
the opinion of the court declaring that Dred Scott was a
slave. The decision implied that a slave was his
master’s property even in free states.
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 25:
1857: Dred Scott and
his family are purchased by the family of Peter Blow,
the original owner of Dred Scott. The case made
headlines throughout the nation
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 26:
1857: On May
26, 1857 Henry Taylor Blow granted Dred Scott and his family
their freedom.
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 27:
1857: Dred
obtained work as a porter in Barnum’s Hotel, St. Louis,
Missouri
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 28:
1858: He died
of tuberculosis on September 17, 1858. His wife,
Harriet, died 18 years later on June 17, 1876
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 29:
1858: The
Supreme court's decision, and its impact on
enslavement, is a point of focus during the
Lincoln-Douglas debates between Abraham Lincoln and
Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln receives enough support to
win the presidential election
Dred Scott Timeline Fact 30:
The decision
was nullified in the 1863
Emancipation
Proclamation and
the post-Civil War
13th Amendment,
14th Amendment and
15th Amendment
Life of Dred Scott
Timeline and Facts for kids
Dred Scott Decision - Racial Discrimination and
Segregation
For additional facts
about racial discrimination and segregation refer to
detailed information on
Black Segregation History
and for brief, fast
facts refer to the
Segregation History Timeline.
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to
Black History -
People and Events.
A useful resource for
teachers, kids, schools and colleges undertaking projects for the
Black History Month.
Dred Scott Decision - President James Buchanan Video
The article on the
Dred Scott Decision provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
James Buchanan video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 15th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1857 to March 4, 1861.
Dred Scott Decision
●
Interesting Facts about
Dred Scott Decision for kids and schools
●
Definition of the
Dred Scott Decision in US history
●
The Dred Scott
Decision, a Important
event in US history
●
James Buchanan Presidency from March 4, 1857 to March 4, 1861
●
Fast, fun info about
the Dred Scott Decision
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President James Buchanan
●
James Buchanan Presidency and
the Dred Scott Decision for schools,
homework, kids and children
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