Jump To:

• Dred Scott Decision
  Dred Scott Decision

  noun

  ScottScott, Dred2
• Dred Scott decision
  Dred Scott decision

  A controversial ruling made by the Supreme Court in 1857, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. Dred Scott, a slave, sought to be declared a free man on the basis that he had lived for a time in a “free” territory with his master. The Court decided that, under the Constitution, Scott was his master's property and was not a citizen of the United States. The Court also declared that the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery in certain areas, unconstitutionally deprived people of property — their slaves. The Dred Scott decision was a serious blow to abolitionists (see abolitionism).

Dred Scott Decision

American  

[dred] / ˌdrɛd ˈskɒt dɪˈsɪʒ ən /

noun

1. ScottScott, Dred2

---

Dred Scott decision Cultural  

1. A controversial ruling made by the Supreme Court in 1857, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. Dred Scott, a slave, sought to be declared a free man on the basis that he had lived for a time in a “free” territory with his master. The Court decided that, under the Constitution, Scott was his master's property and was not a citizen of the United States. The Court also declared that the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery in certain areas, unconstitutionally deprived people of property — their slaves. The Dred Scott decision was a serious blow to abolitionists (see abolitionism).

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Dred Scott Decision Dred Scott decision

I heard of the Dred Scott Decision, and thought J.P.

From Vandemark's Folly by Quick, Herbert

By the irony of fate it was Chief Justice Taney of the Dred Scott Decision who inaugurated Lincoln into office, that Lincoln might later make Taney's decision forever null and void.

From The Battle of Principles A Study of the Heroism and Eloquence of the Anti-Slavery Conflict by Hillis, Newell Dwight

When Mr. Douglas concluded to become a Presidential candidate, he broached a theory of constitutional interpretation for which he may have found some support in the Dred Scott Decision.

From Reminiscences of Sixty Years in Public Affairs, Vol. 2 by Boutwell, George S.

The alienation of the Afro-American from his government was dramatically underscored and justified in 1857 by the Dred Scott Decision which was handed down by the Supreme Court.

From The Black Experience in America by Coombs, Norman

In the old Boston days he had discussed freely in the pulpit such themes as the "Free Soil Movement," "The Fugitive Slave Law," and "The Dred Scott Decision."

From Starr King in California by Simonds, William Day

He was speaking of the Dred Scott decision, but he understood, as did the Founders, that such people can emerge in every generation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Supreme Court’s infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision that declared African Americans could not be citizens.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024

That was Abraham Lincoln’s view in light of the Dred Scott decision, expressed in his First Inaugural Address.

From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2024

Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision and a 1954 copy of its Brown vs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2023

But all this is compatible with the Dred Scott decision itself.

From History of Woman Suffrage, Volume II by Stanton, Elizabeth Cady