Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man who became a symbol of the injustice of slavery in the United States. He was born into slavery in Virginia in 1799 and later moved to Missouri with his owners. In 1846, he sued for his freedom in the famous Dred Scott v. Sandford case, which went all the way to the Supreme Court. The court ruled against him, denying him his freedom and affirming the legality of slavery. His case was a major factor in the start of the Civil War.