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" what Dred Scott's master might lawfully do with dred scott, in the free state of illinois, every other master may lawfully do with any other one, or 1,000 slaves, in IlLInois, or in any free state."-Roger B. TaneyThe first court case where Dred Scott tried to fight for his freedom, was in June, 1847. He lost his case, though, because he couldn't prove that Dr. Emerson's wife owned him. But in 1848, the Missouri Supreme Court agreed that Dred's was to be retried. In 1850, the St. Louis circuit court decided that Dred and Harriet were free. In 1852, the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the circuit court's decision. Scott's case was then moved to the United States Circuit Court in Missouri with the help of his lawyers. The Circuit Court thought the same as the Missouri Supreme Court. Dred Scott had no choice but to appeal his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Dred Scott's case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1856. The name of the case was Dred Scott v. Sanford. There were nine Supreme Court justices: seven were for slavery and two were against slavery. The Supreme Court was very biased towards slavery. Mrs. Emerson's brother, John Sanford, was the case's defendant. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was a justice for slavery and was hated most by the North. He played a big part in Dred's court case. He said, "Dred Scott was the property of his owner, and property could not be taken from a person without due process of law." Not all of the justices participated in the final decision of Scott's case. The anti-slavery justices dissented. Roger B. Taney made the decision that slavery couldn't be banned in territories, free blacks and slaves could not become citizens, and that Scott couldn't be free by going past the 36 30' line. Dred Scott did not win his case.
FUN FACT: When Dred and Harriet were declared free in court, Dr. Emerson's widow went back to court and the decision was overruled.