The Dred Scott Decision
Explore the historical context, legal arguments, and lasting impact of the Supreme Court's Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (1857) on American history and the path to the Civil War.
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The Dred Scott Decision
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Use complete sentences for short answer questions.
The Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court case in 1857 was a landmark decision that intensified the national debate over slavery and contributed significantly to the outbreak of the Civil War. Dred Scott, an enslaved African American man, sued for his freedom after living with his owner in free territories.
1. What was the Supreme Court's primary ruling regarding Dred Scott's citizenship?
He was a citizen because he resided in a free state.
He was not a citizen and therefore could not sue in federal court.
His citizenship was deferred until he could purchase his freedom.
He was granted honorary citizenship for his service.
2. The Dred Scott decision also declared which legislative act unconstitutional?
The Compromise of 1850
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Missouri Compromise
The Fugitive Slave Act
3. The Chief Justice who delivered the majority opinion in the Dred Scott case was .
4. The concept that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories because it violated property rights was based on the Amendment.
5. The Dred Scott decision was widely accepted by both pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States.
True
False
6. The decision affirmed that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not and could never be citizens of the United States.
True
False
7. Explain two significant ways the Dred Scott decision contributed to the growing sectional tensions between the North and the South.
8. Discuss the immediate reactions to the Dred Scott decision in both abolitionist circles and among Southern slaveholders.