LAD #18: Dred Scott Decision

Read Chief Justice Roger Taney's Decision in the Dred Scott vs. Sanford Supreme Count case and summarize 

The Supreme Court decision for the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case was made by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Taney supported Sanford, saying that Scott, as a child of parents that immigrated to the US, was not a citizen of the US and therefore was not guaranteed the rights that are given to citizens in the Constitution. He referred to the Constitution and claimed that it made no distinction between slaves and other forms of property, which meant that Scott never had any right to claim any rights of liberty granted by the Constitution, and he also didn't have the right to bring the case to court. On the other hand,Sanford, Scott's owner, was a legal citizen of the US so he deserved all the rights granted by the Constitution and therefore his property was protected by the government. The court therefore had to ensure his ownership over Scott, but this decision challenged the Missouri Compromise, because even though Scott lived in a free state, Illinois, he was considered property and therefore had no right to sue in the slave-state of Missouri. In the end, Taney ruled that the Compromise was unconstitutional.