HOWARD, BENJAMIN C. A Report of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott, versus John F.A. Sandford. December Term, 1856. New York: D. Appleton, 1857. First edition (issued simultaneously with the Washington ediiton). Original printed wrappers with a decorative woodcut border, the spine lettered "Dred Scott Case" in black, housed in a cloth clamshell case. [5], 394-633, [3] pp. The wrappers expertly repaired, a few stray stains and ink marks, stamp of a contemporary Hartford bookseller to the front wrapper, dated ink ownership signature to margin of wrapper (see note), a very fine copy overall.

Rare first edition in wrappers of the landmark Supreme Court decision against Dred Scott and his family, one of the most influential cases regarding slavery before the Civil War. In 1846, the Scotts had sued for their freedom on the basis that they had resided for several years in a territory where slavery was illegal. Having commenced in St. Louis Circuit Court, the case grew in scope and significance before reaching the Supreme Court. In March 1857, Chief Justice Taney issued the 7-2 opinion of the court, which ruled that slaves were not citizens of the United States and therefore had no rights or protections thereunder. The court further ruled that the Congress had no authority to ban slavery in federal territories. The decision is considered the worst ever rendered by the Supreme Court and served to further divide the nation and accelerated the path to civil war. The ruling was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and greatly informed Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation which took effect in 1863. Dred Scott was represented in the Supreme Court by Montgomery Blair, who went on to serve in Lincoln's cabinet during the Civil War.

This copy bears the notable contemporary provenance of Judge Roland Hitchcock (1824-1889) and is signed by him from Winsted, Connecticut, not far from Hartford where the book was originally sold, and dated in June 1857, just months after the verdict was issued and the ramifactions of the Dred Scott case began to affect other cases around the country.

Howes S218; Sabin 33240.