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Article: One man's case and how it changed a nation.
- Article from:
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO)
- Article date:
- March 5, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Harry Levins
ST. LOUIS _ A century and a half ago, a black slave in St. Louis lost a Supreme Court case _ and won a permanent place in American history.
The slave was Dred Scott, suing for his freedom. But when the Supreme Court handed down its ruling on March 6, 1857, the impact reached way past the status of a single slave in St. Louis.
By 1857, the United States had split into angry sides on the question of slavery. The nation seemed to be steaming hellbent toward a violent resolution.
At the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney seemed to think the Dred Scott ruling would put the brakes on this runaway train. ...