Introduction
People come from different backgrounds and this affects how they relate with each other. The whites form the greatest part of the American population, followed by blacks and other races. Slavery became a serious issue in American society because whites discriminated against members of other races. Therefore, this caused conflicts between whites and members of other races because nobody wanted to be treated like a slave (Divine 31). This paper examines the Dred Scott decision and what it portrays about the African American population on the eve of the Civil War.
The Significance of the Dred Scott Decision on the American History
Dred Scott was a slave of John Emerson (an army surgeon) and he moved with him from one state to another when his boss got transferred. Scott sued Emerson for enslaving him when he moved to Missouri after the declaration of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 (Divine 416). The Supreme Court ruled that he had no grounds to sue his master because the United States Constitution did not recognize him as an American. The decision of this court spurred tension and weakened the already threatened relationship between whites and African Americans.
The Dred Scott Decision is very important in American history because of the following reasons. First, it exposed the challenges that African Americans experienced in America. They were slaves for many years and this decision exposed how they struggled to ensure their rights were respected. Scott sued his master because he believed that he was supposed to be free and thus his rights and freedoms were violated by Emerson (Divine 418).
The decision shows that slavery was a normal practice in the United States and thus Scott had no right to sue his master and this deepened the challenges that African Americans experienced. Secondly, it enabled African Americans to join hands and fight for their rights. Historians believe that the American Civil War was caused by slavery and the tribulations that African Americans suffered (Divine 418). Therefore, the Supreme Court’s decision on Scott’s case showed how most American states did not want to abolish the slave trade despite the efforts of their counterparts to ensure this practice was stopped.
The Status of African Americans on the Eve of the Civil War
This war was between states that wanted to abolish slavery and those that were committed to ensuring this practice existed and it lasted for five years between 1961 and 1965 (Divine 419). The war weakened the influence of slave-owners and ended their political power in America. The Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the petition filed by Scott against Emerson was a culmination of the struggles that African Americans experienced as slaves.
It showed that African Americans were tired of slavery and thus they were ready to sacrifice their lives to fight for their rights. African Americans and some whites that abhorred slavery were united on the eve of the Civil War to make America a free country regardless of the racial backgrounds of individuals.
Conclusion
The Dred Scott decision was an eye-opener on how African Americans suffered at the hands of whites during the dark days of slavery. It showed that racism was a serious problem in America and there was the need to address it to ensure people enjoyed their rights and freedoms. The Civil War (1961-1965) was the climax of the struggles that Americans experienced before abolishing slavery.
Works Cited
Divine, Robert. America Past and Present. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2011. Print.