A black man who helped galvanize anti-slavery efforts before the Civil War has been inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians.
Dred Scott, who sued for his freedom from slavery in St. Louis in 1846, was honored Wednesday in a Capitol ceremony. A bronze bust of Scott will now be included in a display on the building's third floor.
In an 1857 decision on Scott's case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that black people were not citizens and did not have the right to sue. The court also said the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and said Congress could not regulate slavery anywhere.
The court's decision angered anti-slavery advocates and pushed the U.S. closer to the Civil War.
Scott worked in St. Louis after the ruling and died in 1858.
