Dred Scott Case

Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia. Around 1820, Scott was sold to Dr. John Emerson who then proceeded to take him to Illinois. Illinois being a "free" state, it was illegal to own a slave. He then moved up to Wisconsin where it was still prohibited to own a slave. Scott then married Harriet Robinson, but Emerson began leasing him and his wife to others since Emerson had military duties to attend to. By the end of 1837, Emerson had been reassigned to a city in Louisiana. The Scotts continued to serve their master and his wife while in Louisiana. Louisiana was also a free state, so they could have applied for freedom in Louisiana court if they wanted to, but they didn't. Emerson died in 1843 and everything he owned now belonged to his wife Eliza, including the Scotts. Eliza continued to lease the Scotts for three years before Dred Scott decided to take things to court. Though he testified, the Supreme Court overruled his case. This made the tension between North and South sky-rocket.  

Dred Scott