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When the United States Supreme Court made a decision on the Dred Scott case, their decision showed that slavery had a future in the United States and that there was the possibility of legal slavery in the entire United States.

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American Experience
Clip: Season 25 Episode 12 | 2m |

In 1857 the Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott, a slave who sought freedom via the courts. With the ruling the Court radically altered not just the battle over slavery, but the status of every black person in America.

Aired: 01/22/13

Rating: NR

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American Experience | What Was the Dred Scott Decision? | Season 25 | Episode 12 | PBS

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In 1857 the Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott, a slave who sought freedom.

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Abolitionists were people who were against slavery. Abolotionists were doing many things, such as creating the Underground Railroad, writing newspapers, talking to mass audiences, all to convince people that slavery should be ended.

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With all of the work from the slaves to help with cotton fields, the South became one of the world's largest cotton suppliers. They began to become very wealthy and tensions grew between the North and South.

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After Lincoln became president, the South became angry and southern states began to leave the United States and form their own new country, the Confederate States of America.

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When Abraham Lincoln became president, he was part of the people who believed in anti-slavery. The South felt that not only was Lincoln against slavery, but he was also against the South.

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Kansas had to vote on whether they should be a slave state or a free state. There were many supporters on each side of the debate, and the fighting in Kansas continued for years.

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The South needed slaves to work in the fields. However, there was not a need for slaves in the North and the North also believed that slavery was wrong.

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The United States was expanding westward, and each new state was a battle for whose property it was between the North and the South.

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There had been argument over how much power the states had and how much power the federal government had after the Constitution had been wrote.

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The majority of the North lived in large cities, with no need of slavery to help with work. However, the South still relied heavily on slaves because of their farming.