Pronunciation: [dɹˈɛd skˈɒt] (IPA) 
The spelling of the name "Dred Scott" is quite straightforward. It is pronounced /drɛd skɑt/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The first syllable is pronounced with the short "e" sound, /ɛ/, followed by the "d" sound, /d/. The second syllable is pronounced with the "o" sound, /ɑ/, and the "t" sound, /t/. The name belongs to a man who, in 1857, unsuccessfully sued for freedom from slavery in the United States Supreme Court.
Dred Scott refers to Dred Scott v. Sandford, a landmark legal case in United States history. In 1857, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in this case, which held significant implications for slavery and the status of African Americans in the country.
Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man who resided in a free state and territory. He filed a lawsuit arguing that he should be considered a free man based on his residence in these areas where slavery was prohibited. The case reached the Supreme Court, where the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, delivered a controversial decision in 1857.
The Court held that African Americans, regardless of their status as enslaved or free, were not considered citizens under the United States Constitution. This ruling declared that African Americans could not sue in federal court and, by extension, their rights were not protected by the Constitution. It further declared that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories, asserting that slaveholders had a constitutional right to take their property, including enslaved individuals, into any part of the country.
The Dred Scott decision was met with significant backlash and criticism. It further fueled the tensions between the Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery, ultimately contributing to the growing divide that led to the American Civil War. The decision was overturned by the ratification of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, which abolished slavery and granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including African Americans.
