The Dred Scott Decision
• Emily Blake
• Staley Upper Elementary School
• 5th Grade Powerpoint
• EBLAKE@romecsd.org
On your own and
on the worksheet
provided:
1) Write a definition
for the word
property.
2) List some
examples of
property.
With your group and using
your definition of property,
decide what you would do in
the situation below. Write your
answer on the worksheet
provided
You live in Georgia where they allow the riding of bikes.
You then move with your family to New York State
where bike-riding is not allowed. Later, after several
years, you move back to Georgia. Does the bike still
belong to you? Why or why not?
With your group, using your
definition of property, and your
ideas from the previous bike
situation, answer the question
below. Write your answer on
the worksheet provided
Does Congress have the right to say that
you cannot ride your bike in Georgia (a
state that allows bike-riding), since it had
“lived” in New York (a state that does not
allow bike-riding) for so long? Why or why
not?
Dred Scott was the name of an African-American slave. He was taken by
his master, an officer in the U.S. Army, from the slave state of Missouri to
the free state of Illinois and then to the free territory of Wisconsin. He lived
on free soil for a long period of time.
When the Army ordered his master to go back to Missouri, he took Scott
with him back to that slave state, where his master died. In 1846, Scott was
helped by Abolitionist (anti-slavery) lawyers to sue for his freedom in court,
claiming he should be free since he had lived on free soil for a long time.
Dr. John Emerson was a doctor in the United States army. The army
required him to move throughout the United States. He did not decide to
move on his own.
The 4 Steps of the
American History Public
Policy Analyst (AHPPA)
Define the Problem
Gather the Evidence
Identify the Causes
Evaluate the Policy
Emerson is
stationed in
Missouri – A
Slave State
Emerson is
transferred
to Illinois – A
Non-Slave
State
Emerson is
transferred
to Wisconsin
– A NonSlave State
Emerson is transferred back to Missouri – A Slave State
He passes away shortly after.
The Two Sides of the Argument
What is the problem?
• Dred Scott
– Lived in a non-slave
area long enough to
be considered a free
man.
– His owner passed
away, therefore he
does not have an
owner
• US Supreme Court
– Dred Scott was not a
US Citizen because he
was a slave
– Congress has no right
to control a person’s
property
What would your decision be?
Write down your decision on the worksheet
provided.
• Which side do you think should win?
• Think about the arguments.
• Think about our activating strategy.
What did the Supreme Court
decide?
• In March of 1857, Scott lost the decision as seven out of nine
Justices on the Supreme Court declared no slave or descendant of
a slave could be a U.S. citizen, or ever had been a U.S. citizen. As a
non-citizen, the court stated, Scott had no rights and could not sue
in a Federal Court and must remain a slave.
• The Supreme Court also ruled that Congress could not stop slavery
in the newly emerging territories and declared the Missouri
Compromise of 1820 to be unconstitutional. The Missouri
Compromise prohibited slavery north of the parallel 36°30´ in the
Louisiana Purchase. The Court declared it violated the Fifth
Amendment of the Constitution which prohibits Congress from
depriving persons of their property without due process of law.
The 4 Steps of the
American History Public
Policy Analyst (AHPPA)
Define the Problem
Gather the Evidence
Identify the Causes
Evaluate the Policy
Evaluate the Policy
Did the Supreme Court get it right?
On the worksheet provided, write whether
you think the Supreme Court made the
right decision.
-Remember to think about the law
-Remember to think about the
arguments
-Remember to think about our
activating strategy
Give reasons for your answer
Leading to War
• How might this event have contributed to
the start of the Civil War?
– Write your answer on the worksheet provided.