Dred Scott Case Historical Timeline

Historical Events Regarding the Dred Scott Case

Period: Dec 13, 1790 to Dec 13, 1990

Dred Scott Born

Jan 1, 1799

Born in Southhampton County Virginia. Scott's Master was Peter Blow.

Mississippi added to the Union

Dec 10, 1817

This was important because it created an uneven number of slave and free states because Mississippi became a slave state.

Illinois added as a state

Dec 3, 1818

This was significant because Illinois was a free state that would later produce strong political leaders running for senate such as Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.

Missouri Compromise

Jan 26, 1820

The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory North of the parallel line (36,30) except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri. The document is a pivotal part in the Dred Scott case. According to this document, when Dred Scott lived as an illegal slave in Illinois and Wisconsin, (both free territories), he was free, and therefore Scott is free.

Scott moves to St. Louis with Peter Blow

Dec 10, 1830

Peter Blow owned Scott and St. Louis turned out to be the place where Scott would undergo his first trials.

Peter Blow Dies

Jun 23, 1832

Scott bought by army surgeon Dr. John Emerson. Blow sold him in 1831 due to financial issues.

Scott marries Harriet Robinson

Feb 9, 1836

Scott marries Harriet Robinson in 1836 and the have two daughters, Eliza and Lizzie.

Emerson's Death

Dec 10, 1843

Scott tried to seek his freedom from Mrs. Emerson in St. Louis for $300, but she refused. This led to Scott suing for his freedom in the courts.

Scott first goes to trial

Jun 10, 1847

Scott sues for freedom and he could not prove Emerson’s widow owned him. This image shows a picture of a St. Louis Courthouse.

Scott v. Emerson

Jan 10, 1850

In the St. Louis Circuit court, after a two-year delay due to the St. Louis fire and a cholera epidemic, the court ruled Scott and his family free. Irene Emerson transferred the ownership to her brother John. F. A. Sanford.

Fugitive Slave Act

Sep 18, 1850

This act says all runaway slaves, upon capture, were to be returned to their masters.

Missouri Supreme Court reverses decison of St. Loius Court

Dec 10, 1852

Scott's family was ruled they were still slaves. This image shows an official preserved document from the case.

Kansas Nebraska Act

Jan 4, 1854

This act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed the settlers of the territories to determine whether slavery was permitted. Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois created the bill.

Birth of Republican Party

Sep 10, 1854

Anti-slavery supporters formed this party and Abraham Lincoln was elected president under this party. This image shows where the birthplace of the Republican Party was formed which was in Wisconsin.

Circuit Court upholds Decision of Missouri Supreme Court

Dec 10, 1854

This leads Scott to appeal his case to the United States Supreme Court.

James Buchanan President 1857-1861

Mar 4, 1857

James Buchanan served as president when the Dred Scott decision was announced. It was believed that Taney told Buchanan the decision of the ruling two days before it was made. John Breckinridge was his vice president. Buchanan is often noted as one of the worst presidents ever in the United States.

Dred Scott v. Sandford Decision

Mar 15, 1857

The ownership of Scott and his family was transferred to Mrs. Emerson's brother, John Sanford, who lived in New York. Out of the nine Supreme Court Justices, seven were pro slavery including Chief Justice Taney. He said under his "majority opinion" that Scott was not a citizen and the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an unconstitutional document.

Frederick Douglass Speech

May 14, 1857

He gave a speech regarding the Dred Scott decision. He was an advocate for abolishing slavery and believed Taney made a big mistake. Douglass believed that the decision went against God.

Abraham Lincoln Speech on Dred Scott

Jun 26, 1857

Lincoln gave a speech regarding the decision. Lincoln believes that states should be free and he against the pro slavery states. Lincoln believed all men were born with inalienable rights, including the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.

Peter Blow's Sons buy Scott

Jan 17, 1858

The sons had helped pay a lot of Scott's legal fees throughout the courts, and after the Supreme Court decision, they bought Scott and his family and gave them their freedom.

Stephen A. Douglas Speech

Jul 17, 1858

Senator Douglas gave a speech regarding the outcome of the decision. He faced Abe Lincoln in 1858 in the Illinois senatorial election. Douglas was a Democrat and Lincoln was a Republican. Douglas believed Congress had the power to pass laws regulating slavery in the territories.

Dred Scott Dies

Sep 17, 1858

Even though Scott dies, his court case affects events that occurred after his case ended.

John Brown rebellion

Oct 16, 1859

John Brown and twenty comrades seized the armory at Harper's Ferry in West Virginia, hoping to use its massive arsenal in the struggle to forcibly end slavery.

1860 Presidential Election

Jan 10, 1860

The four candidates were Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and the Constitution Union Party. The big decision of the election was whether or not to allow slavery.

Abraham Lincoln Elected President

Feb 12, 1861

Lincoln won the election ran under the Republican Party. He was assassinated in office. He led the United States during the civil war and gave several speeches against the Dred Scott ruling.

Confederacy Formed

Mar 11, 1861

The Southern States formed a confederacy with former Senator of Missouri Jefferson Davis as president.

American Civil War Starts

Apr 12, 1861

American Civil War Ends

Apr 10, 1865

13th Amendment Created

Dec 6, 1865

Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

14th Amendment Created

Jul 9, 1868

Gave all people born in the US citizenship, expanded civil rights, and forbids any states from denying a citizen of life, liberty, or property, without a due process of law.

15th Amendment Created

Feb 3, 1870

This prohibits state and federal governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Jim Crow Laws

Apr 10, 1877

These laws enforced racial segregation in the South until civil rights movement in the 1950s.

Plessy v. Ferguson

May 18, 1896

This case upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities.

MLK Speech at Penn State

Jan 21, 1965

Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech about the civil rights movement, and he talked about the Dred Scott case to about 8,000 people at Penn State.