The Dred Scott Case

Scott’s Arguments

1. Scott had been a slave in the slave state of Missouri.

2. Scott had traveled to the free state of Illinois, upon which action he became a free man.

3. The principle of permanent emancipation entitled Scott to remain a free man after returning to Missouri; once free, always free, the principle said.

4. Scott indeed had the right to sue for his freedom in federal court because he was a citizen by virtue of his residence in one of the United States of America.

Source: Herda, The Dred Scott Case: Slavery and Citizenship