Dred Scott v. Sanford

During the 10 year span from 1833 to 1843 Dred Scott lived in Illinois. Before the move he lived in Missouri as a slave. When he moved to Illinois he moved to the part where slavery was forbidden in the Louisiana Territory, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was the reasoning for the shut down of slavery.

Scott moved back to Missouri, thinking he was a free man because of his residence in Illinois (free state), this was not the case, causing the law suit that Scott brought to the federal court. Scott claimed that is was a free man from living in a free state for ten years, while Missouri believed he was still considered a slave and labeled him as one. It was argued that no one but a citizen of the United States could be a citizen of a state and only Congress could confer national citizenship. In the end Dred Scott was labeled as a slave.