Dred Scott Case

The Dred Scott was a slave owned by Sanford. Scott's  "owner" took him into the free state, Illinois (which was currently the territory of Wisconsin), and then was taken back to the slave state, Missouri. Because he had been in a free state, Scott thought he was a free man and the issue of his freedom was debated. Scott tried to sue his owner for his freedom, but unfortunately he lost. This case raised the issues regarding "property" rights. The U.S, declared that African Americans were not American citizens. The case presented the issue of slavery being banned all together, and was resolved by stating that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories. The Dred Scott Case brought to attention the fact that slaves were considered property, and by banning slavery the 5th amendment would would be violated. Which is contradicting because African Americans 5th amendment rights were totally dismissed and ignored. The significance of this case was that it declared that African-Americans were not U.S. citizens. The Dred Scott Case contributed to the Civil War because it made the issue of slavery more present within the society, therefore adding to the negative relationship between the North and the South.