DRED SCOTT THE SLAVE "Dred Scott was a negro owned by Dr. John Emerson, a surgeon in the United States army, and in the year 1834 Scott came with the doctor from Missouri to Fort Armstrong on Rock island, Illinois, where the doctor was stationed.  Scott remained at Fort Armstrong until May, 1836, when he went with the doctor to Fort Snelling (in Minnesota) where he married Harriet, a slave of his master, and had two children.  Slavery was illegal in both places - in Illinois by its constitution; in Minnesota (Louisiana Purchase) by the Missouri Compromise. "In 1838 Scott was taken to Jefferson Barracks, a military post at St. Louis, and here an action was brought in the circuit court of the state by Scott to test the question of his freedom.  The St. Louis court held that Scott's residence on free soil had made him free.  The case was appealed to the supreme court of Missouri, which court reversed the decision of the St. Louis circuit court and held that Scott was a slave.  In the meantime Dr. Enerson had sold Dred and his family to John F. A. Sanford of New York, and suit was brought against Sanford in the United States court for Scott's freedom.  The case was tried at St. Louis on May 15, 1854, before the court and a jury, and the latter found that 'Dred Scott was a negro slave, the lawful property of the defendant.'  A new trial was refused and Scott carried his case to the supreme court of the United States.  The final decision in the Dred Scott case was the longest and, up to that period, the most interesting one ever given by the supreme court of the United States.  The substance of the dicision was as follows: "Scott was not made free by being taken to Rock Island in the state of Illinois.  As Scott was a slave when taken into the state by his owner, and was there held as such, and brought back into Missouri in that character, his status, as free or slave, depended on the laws of Missouri, and not of Illinois.  He and his family were not free, but were, by the laws of Missouri, the property of the defendant.'  This decision by Roger B. Taney only helped to fan the flames, and the free-soil, native American and anti-slavery democrats of the north now took more aggressive steps toward the abolition of the slave trade." Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L