Dred Scott V. Haford Case Study

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Dred Scott v. Sanford case of 1857 was a very controversial case in the United States. The Supreme Court ruling is considered to be the worst in history and one of the leading causes of the Civil War. The Supreme Court said that Americans of African descent, free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. This ruling was unconstitutional because the Constitution states that “all Men are created equal.” This ruling is also violating your 14th amendment rights. I don’t think there is a difference between legal and ethics. They both are based on you making the right decisions and abiding by the code of conduct within yourself as well as the law set in place. The majority of the justice seemed to use the ethical perspective of the time period. What I mean by this is …show more content…

The Scotts moved back into a slave territory voluntarily until Dr. Emerson’s work was done. Eventually, the couple ended up back in St. Louis where they were hired out to grocers upon their return to the state. In 1843 Dr. Emerson died and their ownership transferred to his wife Eliza Irene Emerson. Mrs. Emerson did not travel like her husband did so this meant that the Scotts were stuck in a slave state and couldn’t be free. In 1846, The Scotts decided to sue Mrs. Emerson for their freedom. They argued that because they lived in a free state and territories where slavery was prohibited they were actually already free and have been since their time spent in Illinois and Wisconsin territory. The Peter Blow family Dred Scotts previous owners helped them sue Mrs. Emerson for their freedom. Missouri law and court president agreed with the Scotts most lawmakers and judges supported the principles once free always free. Many court cases followed the Scotts petition in the first trial in 1847. The Scotts still lost the case in state court because the judge ruled that the evidence didn’t completely prove that Mrs. Emerson owned the Scotts because she left them with her

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