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First off, let's set the record straight on the expression itself -- it's actually "scot-free." And contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with Dred Scott or the Scottish.
Sceot is the Old English for "a tax." Scot and lotwas a medieval muncipal tax levied on residents. Someone who managed to avoid paying this medieval tax got off "scot free."
Eventually, the word evolved to describe getting away without any kind of punishment, fiscal or otherwise. Kids who fake fevers get out of school scot-free. Cagey adults escape jury duty scot-free. And dogs with remorseful eyes get off scot-free from just about any wrongdoing.
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Who is a slave who sued for his freedom after being taken into free territory by owner?
Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom after being taken by his owner to free territories. The landmark Supreme Court case of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) ruled that even though Scott was in a free territory, he was not entitled to freedom because he was property under the law.
What did Dred Scott based his claim for freedom on?
Dred Scott based his claim for freedom on the fact that his master had taken him to free states and territories.
Why did dred Scott claim he was no longer enslaved?
Dred Scott claimed he was no longer enslaved because he had been taken to live in free territories where slavery was prohibited. He argued that his time in those territories should have made him a free man under the principle of "once free, always free."
Why did chief justice Taney think Dred Scott should not be free?
Chief Justice Taney believed that Dred Scott should not be free because he argued that African Americans, whether slave or free, were not considered citizens under the U.S. Constitution. Taney also argued that the federal government did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, which meant that Scott's residence in a free state did not make him free.
What 3 issues did the supreme court have to decide on in the Dred Scott case?
Whether Dred Scott, as a slave, could sue in federal court. Whether residence in free territory made Scott free. Whether Congress had the power to prohibit slavery in certain territories.
