Question

Why did Dred Scott believe he was free from enslavement?
• He lived in a free territory.
• He escaped to the North.
• He married a person who was set free.
• He was born a free man.

Answer 1

Dred Scott believed he was free from enslavement primarily because he lived in a free territory. Specifically, Scott argued that his time spent in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory, both of which were free territories according to the Missouri Compromise, entitled him to his freedom. His case ultimately went to the Supreme Court, which ruled against him in 1857, stating that African Americans could not be considered citizens and thus had no standing to sue.