Scott v. Stanford - Court Case of Scott v. Stanford

Date:

1857

Facts of Scott v. Stanford:

A slave named Dred Scott moved with Dr. John Emerson from Army post to Army post while his slave. After living in a free state for a while they returned to Missouri, a slave state. When Dr. Emerson died Scott sued for his freedom and won. He contended he was free because he lived in a free state and and a free territory for a time. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned the lower court decision and eventually the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the Missouri Supreme Court keeping Scott a slave.

Significance of Scott v. Stanford:

This case had major repercussions on the Slave v. Free state debate. The ruling struck down the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Missouri Compromise had determined which states were free or slave. The Kansas-Nebraska Act established the principal of popular sovereignty. The territories of Kansas and Nebraska were able to enter the union as free or slave based on popular vote. The Dred Scott decision overturned both of these legislative acts and made tensions even greater between North and South.