---
title: "Dred Scott Decision: Supreme Court Affirms Slavery"
year: 1857
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1857/dred-scott-decision"
slug: "dred-scott-decision"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1857-01-01"
---

# Dred Scott Decision: Supreme Court Affirms Slavery

> Dred Scott Decision: Supreme Court Affirms Slavery

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott, an enslaved man who had sued for his freedom, had no right to file suit because he was not a citizen. Chief Justice Roger Taney's majority opinion went further, declaring that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Black people-enslaved or free-had no rights under the Constitution. The decision inflamed sectional tensions and became a rallying point for abolitionists while emboldening slavery's defenders.

## Summary

Dred Scott Decision: Supreme Court Affirms Slavery (1857) - United States.

## Key facts

- **Chief Justice**: Roger Taney
- **Vote**: 7-2 majority
- **Date**: March 6, 1857
- **Plaintiff's Residence**: Missouri (slave state)
- **Years Scott Lived in Free Territory**: Approximately 4 years (1834–1838, Illinois and Minnesota)
- **Missouri Compromise Status**: Declared unconstitutional
- **Dissenting Justices**: 2 (John McLean, Benjamin Curtis)
- **Years to Civil War**: 4 years

## Timeline

- **1834-01-01** - Dred Scott Moves North
  Scott is taken by his owner, Dr. John Emerson, to Illinois (free state) and later to Minnesota Territory (free territory), where he lives until 1838.
- **1846-01-01** - Scott Files Lawsuit
  After returning to Missouri as an enslaved person, Dred Scott sues in Missouri circuit court for his freedom based on his residence in free territory, launching a legal battle that will reach the Supreme Court.
- **1850-01-01** - Missouri Court Rules Against Scott
  The Missouri Supreme Court rules against Dred Scott, reversing prior precedent and holding that residence in free territory does not confer freedom once returned to a slave state.
- **1854-01-01** - Case Reaches Federal Court
  The case moves to federal circuit court as Scott v. Sandford (Sandford being the executor of Scott's former owner). The circuit court upholds the Missouri decision.
- **1856-12-15** - Supreme Court Oral Arguments
  The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case. The bench signals its intent to address not just Scott's status but the broader constitutional question of slavery's scope.
- **1857-03-06** - Taney Issues Majority Opinion
  Chief Justice Roger Taney delivers the majority opinion, ruling that Black people-enslaved or free-are not citizens and cannot sue in federal court. The opinion further declares the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.
- **1857-03-06** - Dissents Filed
  Justice John McLean and Justice Benjamin Curtis file dissenting opinions, arguing that free Black people are citizens and that Congress has the power to prohibit slavery in territories.
- **1857-06-01** - Northern Press Reaction
  Northern newspapers and politicians condemn the decision as a proslavery coup. Abolitionists use the ruling to argue that the Constitution protects slavery nationwide and must be fundamentally reformed.
- **1858-06-16** - Lincoln-Douglas Debates Begin
  Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas contest the Dred Scott decision throughout their Illinois Senate debates, with Lincoln arguing the ruling threatens free labor ideology and Douglas defending popular sovereignty.
- **1861-04-12** - Civil War Begins
  The election of Lincoln and failure of compromise efforts lead to Confederate secession and the start of the Civil War, fundamentally reshaping the constitutional order that Taney had tried to settle.

## Consequences

- **1860 - Election of Abraham Lincoln**: Lincoln's victory as the Republican candidate opposed to slavery's expansion was partially a response to the Dred Scott decision. Southern states' secession followed, precipitating the Civil War.
- **1861 - American Civil War**: The sectional tensions inflamed by Dred Scott and the slavery debate contributed to Southern secession and the outbreak of war in April 1861, ultimately resulting in over 600,000 deaths.
- **1865 - 13th Amendment ratified**: The amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States, directly overturning the principles underlying the Dred Scott decision and freeing approximately 4 million enslaved people.
- **1868 - 14th Amendment ratified**: The amendment granted citizenship to all people born in the United States and prohibited states from denying equal protection or due process, explicitly overruling Taney's claim that Black people were not citizens.
- **1870 - 15th Amendment ratified**: The amendment prohibited denying the right to vote based on race or previous condition of servitude, further dismantling the legal framework Dred Scott had attempted to establish.

## Then vs now

- **Number of enslaved people in the United States**: 1857: approximately 4 million → 2024: 0 (slavery abolished) - The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865
- **Black Americans eligible to vote**: 1857: virtually none (legally barred in almost all states) → 2024: 100% of adult Black citizens (15th Amendment, 1870; Voting Rights Act, 1965)
- **Black Americans with U.S. citizenship rights**: 1857: legally denied by Dred Scott decision → 1868: guaranteed by 14th Amendment
- **Percentage of U.S. population that is Black**: 1860: approximately 18% → 2020: approximately 13.4% - Decline due to end of slavery and demographic shifts

## Impact

The decision crystallized the constitutional question of slavery's legality and scope, removing any middle ground. It radicalized both pro- and anti-slavery forces, making compromise increasingly impossible and accelerating the drift toward civil war. No Supreme Court ruling had so thoroughly aligned the bench with one region's interests.

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1857/dred-scott-decision