Dred Scott v. Sandford: A Landmark Decision
Explore the historical context, legal arguments, and lasting impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford.
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Dred Scott v. Sandford: A Landmark Decision
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Read each question carefully and provide thoughtful, well-supported answers based on your knowledge of the Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court case.
1. Which of the following was a key legal question addressed by the Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
Whether enslaved persons could be counted for congressional representation.
Whether Congress had the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories.
The legality of the international slave trade.
The right of states to secede from the Union due to slavery.
2. The Supreme Court's ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford declared which of the following unconstitutional?
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Compromise of 1850
The Missouri Compromise
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
3. Chief Justice delivered the majority opinion in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case.
4. The decision stated that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be of the United States.
5. The Dred Scott decision significantly strengthened the abolitionist movement.
True
False
6. The ruling affirmed the principle of popular sovereignty in the territories.
True
False
7. Briefly explain the legal argument Dred Scott's lawyers presented to claim his freedom.
8. Describe the immediate and long-term impact of the Dred Scott decision on national politics and the sectional crisis leading up to the Civil War.
Match the term/person on the left with its description on the right.
9. Roger B. Taney
a. Former slave who sued for his freedom
10. Missouri Compromise
b. Chief Justice who wrote the majority opinion
11. Abolitionist Movement
c. Legislation declared unconstitutional by the ruling
12. Dred Scott
d. Group whose cause was inadvertently strengthened
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