Dred Scott and his wife Harriet Scott each sued for freedom in St. Louis after the death of their master, based on their having been held in a free territory (the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase from which slavery was excluded under the terms of the Missouri Compromise).
Dred Scott dan istrinya Harriet Scott, masing-masing menuntut negara supaya mereka dibebaskan di St. Louis setelah kematian majikan mereka dengan alasan bahwa mereka tinggal di sebuah wilayah di mana perbudakan (bagian utara dari Pembelian Louisiana, di mana perbudakan tidak diikutsertakan seperti tertera dalam Kompromi Missouri).