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Dred Scott Supreme Court Case

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Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man who sued for his freedom in front of the Supreme Court in 1857. Dred Scott was moved to Illinois, which was a free state and lived there for a long time. His owner moved him back to a slave state and said that he still isn't free even though he lived in a free state. Congress had said that if a slave lives in a free state for a certain amount of time, the become free. Sanford did not agree and so he took it to court. The first time they were in favor of Sanford so Scott appealed to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme court also ruled in Sanford's favor saying that Dred Scott was not a person, he was property and therefore could not file a lawsuit because he was not a citizen of the United States. They also declared that congress did not have power to outlaw slavery in any territory. Eventually someone bought Scott and set him free.
In Chief Justice Taney’s statement the claim he makes is that Dred Scott is not a person, he was property and therefore could not file a lawsuit because he was not a citizen of the United States. Slaves do not count as citizens and do not apply to “we the people” in the Declaration of …show more content…
For example, “black people are not as smart as white people.” This is definitely an opinion, most black people couldn’t read or write, but that doesn’t mean they’re not smart. His opinions were all against black people, not just Dred Scott. Another opinion of his was “black people are not good enough to be friends with or speak to white people.” This is definitely an opinion because we were all created equal, and that is a fact. He also stated that “ black people are enslaved for their own good because they cannot survive without the help of white people.” This is not a fact, it isn’t even true. It is the opposite of what he is saying. White people are the ones that need help, that’s why this is such a big issue, because they need

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