Dred Scott (1795–1858) was a Missouri slave who sued for his freedom in 1846. While the slave of an Army surgeon, Scott had lived in the free state of Illinois and the free territory of Wisconsin. Scott claimed that his residence on free soil had erased his slave status. In 1850 a Missouri court gave Scott his freedom, but two years later the Missouri supreme court reversed this decision and returned Scott to slavery. He appealed to the US Supreme Court, which ruled against him in 1857. After the decision, Scott's owner freed him and Scott...