Dred Scott (1799 –1858), was an African American slave who sued unsuccessfully for his freedom in the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857. His case was based on the fact that he had lived with his master Dr. John Emerson in states and territories where slavery was illegal. The United States Supreme Court ruled seven to two against Scott, finding that neither he, nor any person of African ancestry, could claim citizenship in the United States.