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Dred Scott was a slave from Missouri, a slave state. He claimed his freedom in court on the basis of seven years of residence in the free state of Illinois and the free territory of Wisconsin. The case made its way through the court system, finally reaching the United States Supreme Court. This article reports on the Supreme Court's decision, with emphasis on the opinions of two dissenting justices. The decision stated that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that negroes were not, and never could be United States citizens. This decision caused great outrage in the North. Northern anti-slavery leaders cited it as evidence that Southerners wanted to extend slavery throughout the nation and ultimately rule the nation itself. The Gazette & Courier was the newspaper in Greenfield, Massachusetts, from July 20, 1841 until June 24, 1932. Before 1841 the newspaper's name changed quite frequently, with Gazette a frequent part of the title.

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