Dred Scott

Dred Scott was a brave man who was not free. He and his wife, Harriet, had two daughters. They all wanted to be free. Dred lived in places where slavery was not allowed. He thought this meant he should be free, so he went to court. It was a very important case called Dred Scott v. Sandford. He was hoping the court would say he and his family were free people.

The highest court in the country, the Supreme Court, made a decision. It was like a referee in a game, but this was a very serious game about freedom. Sadly, the court decided against Dred Scott. They said that people of African descent could not be citizens. This meant Dred could not sue for his freedom in that court. It was a very sad day for Dred and his family.

Even though Dred Scott did not win his freedom in court, his case made many people think and talk. It was like a loud alarm bell ringing across the country. People in different parts of the country disagreed strongly about slavery. This case made those disagreements even bigger and helped lead to a big war called the Civil War.

Even though the Supreme Court said no, Dred Scott and his family were eventually set free. Someone made a private agreement to let them go. Dred Scott lived as a free man for a little while before he passed away. Later, new laws were made that said all people were free, and no one could be a slave anymore.