Dred Scott Analysis Worksheet
AP U.S. History • Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Primary Source Document
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Historical Context
In 1846, Dred Scott sued for freedom after living in free territories (Illinois and Wisconsin). In 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled 7–2 that African Americans were not U.S. citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in federal territories.
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney • Majority Opinion Excerpt 60 U.S. (19 How.) 393
“[T]he legislation and histories of the times, and the language used in the Declaration of Independence, show, that neither the class of persons who had been imported as slaves, nor their descendants, whether they had become free or not, were then acknowledged as a part of the people.”
1
Based on the excerpt above, what is the main subject of Chief Justice Taney’s argument?
The practice of relocating from a slave state to a free state
The right of an owner to retain his or her property
The practice of importing enslaved people from Africa
The lack of citizenship for enslaved people and descendants
2
Textual Evidence • Historical Intent
According to Taney, which two historical sources did the Court cite to claim African Americans were excluded as “part of the people”?
Source 1:
Source 2:
3
Critical Interpretation • Scope of the Decision
Why was the phrase “whether they had become free or not” devastating for free Black Americans living in Northern free states?
4
Constitutional Connection • The Fourteenth Amendment (1868)
The 14th Amendment establishes that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States... are citizens.” How did this overturn Taney’s ruling?
U.S. Supreme Court Record • Dred Scott v. Sandford, Decided March 6, 1857 Document Analysis Sheet
