In 1820 Congress took possession of Missouri from France and Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state. Dred Scott was born in Virginia in 1799 as a slave of the Peter Blow family and remained a slave for most of his life. Dred Scott filed a suit to obtain his freedom which he won. However, in 1852 the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri overruled the decision. Written by Lyman D. Norris.