The Dred Scott Decision

During the 1800s, the question of slavery was threatening to divide the country. States in the North banned slavery, while those in the South allowed it. Dred Scott, an enslaved man from Missouri, took his quest for freedom to the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court would decide his fate, along with the fate of slaves throughout the country. When the court's controversial decision was reached in 1857, it pushed the United States toward the Civil War, a bloody four-year conflict that almost tore the nation in two.

Children's Literature

The issue of slavery defined the 19th century in the United States. The Civil War and Reconstruction may have been the culmination of the issue, but there were several incidents prior to the war that contributed to the rise of tensions between pro-slavery and abolitionist citizens in the United States. The Dred Scott case began simply enough in the Missouri Court System and garnered little notice amongst citizens of the state or nation. It traveled through the system for many years before the final decision was handed down from the U.S. Supreme Court. Even years later, the decision is regarded as the low point of the court's history, but as with most cases, the decision was motivated by political means and ensured that slavery would be upheld in the United States for an additional seven years. Fully illustrated with maps and images of Dred Scott and other important personalities from the case, the book is an excellent introduction to the issue, as well as an adequate introduction to the causes of the Civil War. This title is part of the "We the People" series.