Dred Scott Essay

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During the Dred Scott versus Sandford case, Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert B. Taney’s rulings were justifiable for the time being, despite the fact that many people disagreed with his decision. Taney’s decision in the Dred Scott versus Sandford case was appropriate because he had to abide by sections of the Constitution such as the first clause of the 2nd section of the Third Amendment when coming to the decision on whether Dred Scott had the right to file a suit. Taney’s obligation to abide by the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment also forced him to make certain decisions within the case despite what his, or anyone else’s, feelings were. A third part of the Constitution that justified Taney’s ruling was the Property Clause in Article four of the Constitution. The Dred Scott versus Sandford case resulted in a 7-2 vote in favor of Sandford, but because of the controversy this case brought, Taney had to make sure his rulings were fit. Despite sufficient constitutional evidence supporting his ruling, Taney was still criticized for his ruling in the Dred Scott versus Sandford case. At the time of the case ruling in 1857, those who disagreed with Taney’s rulings failed to see that Taney had to abide by the Constitution, which is why his decision was ultimately a correct one. Although Taney’s decision that Dred Scott was not a citizen, and therefore did not have the right to file a suit, was heavily criticized, his judgment was still correct because of the first clause of the second section in the Third Amendment. Before ruling on whether the Dred Scott versus Sandford lacked the right to file a suit, Taney made sure to determine whether Dred Scott would have been considered a citizen or not at the time the Constitution was ratified. After Taney examined the history of slavery law in the United States, he came to the conclusion that the Founding Fathers
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