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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. The court was predominately proslavery with seven of the justices appointed by pro-slavery presidents and five from slave holding families. The Supreme Court's decision written by Chief Justice Roger Taney stated that because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise of 1820, legislation which restricted slavery in certain territories, unconstitutional. 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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