# Dred Scott case

The Dred Scott case was a case presented to the [[United States]] [[Supreme Court]] in 1857. The decision was a major factor in the lead up to the [[Civil War]].

Dred Scott, a slave, lived for two years in a free state. He argued that, by virtue of living in a free state, he ought to be free.

The Supreme Court decided otherwise. The Dred Scott decision ruled that people of African decent were not the “citizens” referred to in the [[Constitution]] and as such had no such rights, not even the right to sue for his freedom.

The Dred Scott case was eventually overruled by the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.