Through chronological order and well-known knowledge, Walter Ehrlich presented information on the Dred Scott case against John FA Sanford. In the well-structured document “Dred Scott in History” by Walter Ehrlich one can understand the numerous delays and controversial issues regarding the importance of the document for history in the triggering of the Civil War. The structure and importance were kept well supported in the document written by Walter Ehrlich. Walter Ehrlich was a credible source on the Dred Scott case due to his many years of studying and teaching history, contributing to the effectiveness and ease of understanding the article. Walter Ehrlich's occupation was “Associate Professor of History and Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis” (182). As a professor and educated man, Ehrlich was a credible source in providing useful facts about the Dred Scott case. In his document he did not express great opinions but limited himself to presenting the facts. He began his piece of writing with the background information needed to help the reader with information about the life of Dred Scott. Walter Ehrlich realized: “To understand the full meaning and impact of that decision, it is imperative to clearly understand what the issues were; and understanding the issues requires an almost gradual development of the litigation itself” (182). Being a well-informed individual, Ehrlich knew what facts and details needed to be included in a given point to fully understand its importance. The "step-by-step" setting of information was also helpful in structuring the multiple delays of the Dred Scott case. Ehrlich kept his Dred Scott document easy to understand according to his organized structure of de... ..middle of paper......road that could only lead to disaster. Dred Scott could well have been the point of no return” (186). The decision to have Scott remain a slave was claimed on the grounds of not being a US citizen with the right to sue and not being a freed slave to begin with. The North and South were so divided on the issue of slavery that the Dred Scott case was the match that ignited the already established idea of ​​an outbreak of civil war. Walter Ehrlich's “Dred Scott in History” document remained of interest to the reader through some important details. The Dred Scott case document was interesting for its effectively structured information about delays, controversial issues, and the idea that the case was the initial spark of the civil war. Works Cited Ehrlich, Walter. "Dred Scott in History". American history. (Vol. I, 13th ed., 1995). 182-187.