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Dred Scott's Quarters
Site where Dred and Harriet Scott likely lived while held illegally at Fort Snelling. Like many of the buildings at the fort, this is a reconstruction. A staff member in 1820s military dress sits before the fireplace telling visitors about the Scotts.
Dred Scott was the slave of a US army surgeon who moved frequently from one post to another. From 1836 to 1840, Scott lived at forts in free states or territories. He and his family were taken back to Missouri in 1840.
In 1846 Scott attempted to purchase his family's freedom. His owner refused. Scott sued because they technically should have been free already. Legal precedent dating back to 1824 held that slaves who had had prolonged residence in a free state would remain free when taken to a slave state. "Once free, always free." The legal battles went back and forth and eventually reached the US Supreme Court.
In a notorious 1857 decision, Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled, in strong and ugly language, that African Americans had no rights and were not US citizens. In particular, since they were not citizens, they had no right to sue. His opinion overturned decades of legal precedent and outraged antislavery Americans. They saw the ruling as further evidence that the "Slave Power" dominated the national government and was increasingly voiding the rights of free states.
Drawn June 15, 2016
Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA
Dred Scott's Quarters
Site where Dred and Harriet Scott likely lived while held illegally at Fort Snelling. Like many of the buildings at the fort, this is a reconstruction. A staff member in 1820s military dress sits before the fireplace telling visitors about the Scotts.
Dred Scott was the slave of a US army surgeon who moved frequently from one post to another. From 1836 to 1840, Scott lived at forts in free states or territories. He and his family were taken back to Missouri in 1840.
In 1846 Scott attempted to purchase his family's freedom. His owner refused. Scott sued because they technically should have been free already. Legal precedent dating back to 1824 held that slaves who had had prolonged residence in a free state would remain free when taken to a slave state. "Once free, always free." The legal battles went back and forth and eventually reached the US Supreme Court.
In a notorious 1857 decision, Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled, in strong and ugly language, that African Americans had no rights and were not US citizens. In particular, since they were not citizens, they had no right to sue. His opinion overturned decades of legal precedent and outraged antislavery Americans. They saw the ruling as further evidence that the "Slave Power" dominated the national government and was increasingly voiding the rights of free states.
Drawn June 15, 2016
Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA