Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
An 1857 Supreme Court case in which Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for his freedom; the Court ruled that African Americans, enslaved and free, were not and could never become citizens of the United States.
AP course connection
Topic 2.7: 2.7 Slavery and American Law: Slave Codes and Landmark Cases