Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man who became famous for his legal battle for freedom in the 1850s. He was born in Virginia and later moved to Missouri, where he was owned by an army surgeon. After living in free territories, Scott sued for his freedom, arguing that he should be free because he had lived in areas where slavery was illegal. In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Scott in a landmark decision. The Court stated that African Americans could not be considered citizens and had no right to sue in federal court. This ruling intensified the national debate over slavery and contributed to the tensions leading up to the American Civil War.