PSC 2302 Lecture Notes - Missouri Compromise, Homer Plessy, Roger B. Taney
9 Nov 2013
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Two views: the constitution justified and condoned slavery, the constitution was an evil to be tolerated and not mentioned. Background: dred scott, a slave, lived in missouri with his owner: his owner died and scott claimed to be a free man and, by virtue of that, a citizen of the united states and the state od. Missouri: dred scott had resided in illinois and wisconsin territory ( free soil as per the missouri compromise) Trial in st. louis ruled against dred scott. Question 1: does residency on free soil make a person free: ruling: chief justice roger taney: congress exceeded its authority in prohibiting slavery in the territories. Therefore slavery was never legally prohibited and dred scott did not live on free soil . Question 2: is dred scott a citizen of the u. s. : ruling: no. citizenship was limited to those who were citizens when the constitution took effect.
