In 1846, Dred Scott attempted to purchase his and his families’ freedom. The Scotts pursued their case for 11 years through the courts. While several hundred suits for freedom were filed by or on behalf of slaves in the decades before the Civil War, this case was the only one to reach the Supreme Court. The same year the Supreme Court ruled against them in a 7-2 decision, the Scotts were sold to the sons of Peter Blow, Dred Scott’s original owner, and were freed.