Nineteenth Century

In 1846 Dred Scott sued for his and his wife's freedom; it became an 11-year battle that was one of the factors for the Civil War. The Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States, thus not receiving protection from federal and local government.

Due to pressure from Southern politicians, the 1793 fugitive slave act was revisited and reintroduced in 1850 with harsher penalties for helpers who harbored and more imposed laws on the enslaved. A group of bills was proposed to help quiet the rise of southern succession.

<p><span class="deck">A bold dream to connect the Hudson to the Great Lakes by canal created a transportation revolution.</span></p>