The Supreme Court decided the Dred Scott case on March 6, 1857. In a 7–2 ruling written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the Court held that Dred Scott remained enslaved, that people of African descent could not be citizens of the United States, and that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional.1National Archives. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) The decision came just two days after President James Buchanan’s inauguration and is widely regarded by constitutional scholars as the worst ruling the Supreme Court has ever issued.
Key Dates in the Case
Dred Scott’s legal fight stretched across more than a decade. His owner, an army surgeon, had taken him to live in the free state of Illinois and the free Wisconsin Territory during the 1830s before returning with him to Missouri, a slave state.
- April 6, 1846 — Dred and Harriet Scott file suit in the St. Louis Circuit Court, arguing that residence on free soil made them free.2National Park Service. The Dred Scott Case
- 1850 — A St. Louis jury rules in Scott’s favor under Missouri law.
- 1852 — The Missouri Supreme Court reverses, holding that Missouri law governed Scott’s status once he returned.
- 1854 — Scott files a new federal lawsuit in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Missouri against John Sanford, relying on diversity jurisdiction. The federal court rules against him.3Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center. Dred Scott v. Sandford
- February 11, 1856 — Oral arguments begin at the Supreme Court. The justices order the case reargued in December.4Oyez. Dred Scott v. Sandford
- March 6, 1857 — The Supreme Court issues its decision.
What the Court Ruled
Taney’s opinion reached three sweeping conclusions rather than resolving the case on narrow grounds.
First, the Court held that people of African descent, whether enslaved or free, were not citizens of the United States and had never been intended as citizens by the framers. Taney wrote that the drafters viewed African Americans as inferior and would not have meant to extend citizenship to them.1National Archives. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Because Scott was not a citizen, he had no right to sue in federal court.3Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center. Dred Scott v. Sandford That reasoning barred an entire population from the federal court system, regardless of whether a person had been born free or lived their whole life in a free state.
Second, the Court declared the Missouri Compromise of 1820 unconstitutional. That law had drawn a line across the Louisiana Territory at 36°30′ latitude and banned slavery north of it.5National Archives. Missouri Compromise (1820) Taney grounded the ruling in the Fifth Amendment, reasoning that enslaved people were property and that banning slavery in a territory stripped owners of property without due process.4Oyez. Dred Scott v. Sandford Under that logic, no federal law restricting slavery in any territory could survive.
Third, and as a consequence of the first two holdings, Scott remained enslaved. Justices Benjamin R. Curtis and John McLean dissented. Curtis was so disgusted with the outcome that he resigned from the Court shortly afterward.
How the Ruling Was Undone
The Dred Scott decision was never overturned by another court. It was undone by constitutional amendments adopted after the Civil War.
The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery throughout the United States and destroyed the legal framework that treated human beings as property.1National Archives. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, directly repudiated Taney’s citizenship holding. Its opening line reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”6Congress.gov. Fourteenth Amendment That language was written specifically to reverse Dred Scott and guarantee birthright citizenship regardless of race.
What Happened to Dred Scott
Scott gained his freedom despite losing at the Supreme Court. On May 26, 1857, less than three months after the decision, Dred and Harriet Scott were formally emancipated in the St. Louis Circuit Court. Scott’s new owners, who had acquired him through a transfer, chose to free the family voluntarily. Dred Scott died of tuberculosis on September 17, 1858, about sixteen months after his emancipation.