Scholarly Activity Time Line Project

CSU University

Imagine, if you will, being a slave in the 1800s. Not being able to do what you wished, go where you wanted, or even be a part of modern civilization. Being treated as a thing and not a person due to the color of your skin, or your lineage. Your family, including your children would all be controlled by people who didn’t view any of you as humans and felt they had the power to buy and trade you and others with you. After much work and heartache, imagine you were able to attain your freedom, along with your family’s, through the legal system only to have it again stripped away from you. I believe it is safe to say that it would be a most defeating feeling.

As most of us know, early in America’s history many relied on slave labor both in their homes and on their grounds. Doing everything from picking cotton, tending the fields and animals, to basic chores and raising children in the household. Many found nothing wrong with this way of life, and thought of the African American, and slaves of other races, to be property and not citizens. There were those, however, that felt that all citizens, weather of slave lineage or not, should be considered citizens. The majority of these people were part of what was to be the Republican Party belonging to the Union states/territories. There were also areas that were considered free vs enslaved (U.S. History, 2014).

Dred Scott, an African American man born into slavery in Virginia in 1795, was relocated to Missouri, where slavery was legal. Later, in 1820, he was relocated by his owner to Illinois and then to Wisconsin Territory where, in both areas, prohibited slavery. Upon his return to Missouri, he tried to buy his slavery, along with his wife and children. His owner, of course, refused and Scott pushed further by taken matters up with the state court system due to his residing in areas where slavery was banned. With the trial, a jury found Scott, his wife and children to be free. Of course, things didn’t stop there as Scott’s owner was not pleased and placed an appeal to the Superior Court System who then reversed the verdict. At that point, Scott became the property of Mr. John Sanford who lived in New York (Unit VII Study Guide, n.d.).

Scott did not give up, however, and tried again in 1857 where he appealed to the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Roger Taney, who had freed his slaves. To Scott’s dismay, it was ruled that he would remain a slave. At that point, the Supreme Court made a historical judgement about black slaves. Per the court at that time, blacks were never to be able to be citizens of the US and further ruled that Congress had no authority to stop or limit the spread of slavery into new American Territories. With this judgment, it rendered the Missouri Compromise invalid and began to draw a political barrier between Confederate and Union Territories. This ruling not only angered slaves throughout the country but also Republicans as their goal was to prevent spreading of slavery and to united against the Southern-dominated Democrats (U.S. History, 2014).

Abraham Lincoln, who at that time was a Lawer and former congressman, became the leader of the Republican resurgence against slavery. He had a vision of a united Union under one set of laws, with free citizens. According to Calabresi, Lincoln frequently argued the point of how horrible the ruling was in Dred Scott v Sandford and how it should be overturned (2017). It is easy to see this was only fuel to help Lincoln’s fire to abolish slavery and helped lead to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which Calabresi argues as one of the greatest presidential Executive Orders of all time (2017). These orders paved the way for the 13th Amendment to be added to the Constitution.

One can only wonder if it were not for the bravery and dedication of Dred Scott to fight for freedom, what outcomes would have been presented. While the process was very difficult for Scott, the decisions made by the Supreme Court, which invalidated the Missouri Compromise and infuriated the Republicans, gave a push for the fight of emancipation and equal rights for all citizens. Though slavery has been abolished, there are still so many that continue to feel affected by slavery in early America. We can only hope to continue to grow and take notes from those who came before us, hopefully to move forward and to have the bravery and conviction of Dred Scott and the dedication and compassion of Abraham Lincoln.

References