Dred Scott was a slave who was living in free states for more than two years. He sued for his freedom, but the Supreme Court ruled that he was not a citizen, therefore, he could not sue anyone in court. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney's decision would infuriate the abolitionists and greatly increase tension among the states. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican from Illinois who won the presidency in the Election of 1860. Lincoln was not on the ballot in many southern states so several Southerners got angry because they felt they were not being represented properly. South Carolina decided to be the first state to secede from the Union and form the Confederacy on December 20th, 1860.
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