Scott was a black slave who had lived with his master for five years in Illinois and Wisconsin territory. He sued for his freedom on the basis of his long residence in free territory. The Dred Scott court decision was handed down by the Supreme Court on March 6,1857. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was a black slave and not a citizen. Hence, he could not sue in a federal court. ( This part of the ruling denied blacks their citizenship and menaced the position of the South's free blacks.) The Court also ruled that the Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional and that Congress could not ban slavery from the territories regardless of what the territorial legislatures themselves might want. The South was extremely happy about the decision, but Republicans were infuriated.
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