Dred Scott vs. Sandford “They [they Blacks] had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” a quotes by Roger B. Taney. The Dred Scott vs. Sandford court case was one of many segregation court cases that the Supreme Court had to deal with. The Dred Scott vs. Sandford case was about an African American that was a slave living in a slave prohibited stated that tried to buy his freedom and lost in court. The controversy began in 1833 when Dr. John Emerson purchased Dred Scott and moved Scott to a base in Wisconsin Territory where slavery was banned. Scott lived there for many years hiring himself out for work while Emerson was gone at war. In 1840 Scott and his family moved to Louisiana and then to St. Louis with Emerson, Emerson then passes away in 1843 leaving the Scott family to his wife Eliza Irene Sanford. Dred Scott then labored for many years and saved his money, the Scott’s sought to buy their freedom from Sanford but Eliza refused to give them freedom. Dred then sued Sanford in a state court, saying that he was legally free because he and his family lived in a territory where slavery was banned. In 1850 the state court finally declared Scott free but, with a catch. They held Scott’s wages and during the time that this was being processed Eliza remarried and left her brother John to deal …show more content…
with her affairs. Eliza was unwilling to pay the back wages owed to Scott and appealed the decision to Missouri Supreme Court. The courts thought that the rights of slaveowners were constitutionally protected by the Fifth Amendment which is a amendment to the US Constitution that creates a number of rights relevant to both criminal and civil legal proceedings.
The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right to grand jury, forbids double jeopardy, and protects against self incrimination. In this amendment it requires that due process of law be part of any court hearing that denies a citizen life, liberty or property. This case helped us place the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which grants anyone born in the United States citizenship right and equal protection of the
laws. The significances of this court case on society shows us that not only were we segregated but that we thought that we had power over African American people. This case helped us get insight on how things needed to change. We basicly told a man that he had no power because the color of his skin. Not only did this happen in the past but, it is still happens today. We still refuse to accept the fact that we are all people no matter the color of our skin or the money in our pocket, we should all get respect until we abuse it. This is one of many court cases that have arose in Supreme Court that fight for the rights of African Americans. After they appealed to Missouri Supreme Court the court overturned the lower court’s decision and ruled in favor of the Sanford. Then they brought up the physical abuse that Scott had withheld when working for Emerson, and the court ruled that Scott could not sue in federal court because he had already been deemed a slave under Missouri law. Then Scott appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which reviewed the case in 1856 due to clerical error at the time Sanford’s name was misspelled in court records. After going through a long court process they finally came to a decision of Scott could be defined as free by virtue of his residency in the Wisconsin Territory because Congress lacked the power to ban slavery in the U.S. territories. I think that this decision was fair and reasonable not only did Scott work and offer to buy his freedom from his hard earned money but, he hadn’t done anything wrong. He was a African American that wanted to be free like the white people, he did his time for Emerson and wanted to live his life. There was no reason, besides the fact the John wanted power over a slave, that Scott couldn’t be free, as stated in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) from pbs.org “Slavery was banned in the territory pursuant to the Missouri Compromise.” he was living in a free state when he tried to buy his freedom. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_dred.html http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/content/dredscott-case.html
The rights of Dwight Dexter in the Fifth Amendment were violated. The amendment prevents the government from prosecuting people unfairly. Accused cannot be jailed or have their property taken without due process
...he [lack] of jurisdiction in that court.” (SD) This shows that, Chief Justice Taney and the others had decided that finding the other court had no ability to rule as it had was all they needed to address. This also shows, how in a bias court (pro-slavery) that a decision could be tainted. In conclusion, the Supreme Court decided Dred Scott could remain a slave, and that they did not support the limiting of slavery. 225
The Constitution guarantees that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without being taken to court for a fair trial, but that means nothing if the people are not willing to uphold it (Fifth Amendment).
The Dred Scott decision involved two slaves, Dred Scott and his wife, who originated from one of the recognized slave states, Missouri, but they were relocated to settle in Wisconsin, a state where slavery was prohibited. In 1846, Scott filed a lawsuit and “sued for his freedom on the grounds that his residence in a free state and a free territory had made him free.” In 1854, Scott’s “case ultimately went to the Supreme Court.” By landing in the Supreme Court, the justices ruled seven to two against the Dred Scott and his wife for multiple reasons. One main reason that the court specified was that whether African Americans are enslaved or not, they were never recognized as citizens of the United States. Therefore, the justices believed that the case should not have been heard or discussed in the Supreme Court to begin with. The second reason was that regardless of any African American being transferred to a free state, does not necessarily change their social status. Thirdly, the Supreme Court ruled that the Missouri Compromise of 1820, a compromise that outlawed slavery north of the 36˚30’ latitude line, is unconstitutional because the Congress declared that they had “no power to ban slavery from any territory.” The decision was critical due to increasing the North population’s unease, and their concern that the South will begin to transport slaves to freed states, which will
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments are part of the Bill of Rights which includes the first ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. These rights apply to the citizens of our great country. The Fourth Amendment covers search laws and has a significant impact on law enforcement procedures. If these procedural rights are not followed, there can be devastating consequences to the outcome of a case.
" Various guarantees create zones of privacy. The right of association contained in the penumbra of the First Amendment. The Third Amendment in its prohibition against the quartering of soldiers. The Fourth Amendment explicitly affirms 'the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures'. The Fifth Amendment in its Self Incrimination Clause.
Dred Scott was born as a slave in Virginia. As a young man he was taken to Missouri, where he was later sold to Dr. John Emerson. A military surgeon, Dr. John Emerson moved Scott a US Army Post in the free state of Illinois. Several years later Dr. Emerson moved once again, but this time to the Wisconsin Territory. As part of the massive Louisiana Purchase the Wisconsin Territory under the Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery. While in the Wisconsin Territory and also later in St. Louis the Emersons started to rent the Scotts out as servants. Under several state and federal laws this was an illegal act in direct violation of the Missouri Compromise, the Northwest Ordinance, and the Wisconsin Enabling Act. Scott bounced around from several military posts including one in Louisiana before ending up again in St. Louis, Missouri. After the death of Dr. Emerson, ownership of the Scotts reverted to his wife. Through out 1846 Scott tried several times to by the freedom for him and his family. After several failed attempts he resorted to the legal r...
questions arise: 1st.[sic] Was [Scott], together with his family, free in Missouri by reason of his stay in the territory of the United States hereinbefore mentioned? And 2d[sic], If they were not, is Scott himself free by reason of his removal to Rock Island, in the state of Illinois...?" Both of these questions led to an even greater and more central question: "Can a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves, become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all the rights, and priveledges, and immunities, guarantied by that instrument to the citizen?" (i.e. does Scott, having been a slave, have the constitutional right to sue?)
The Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth-Amendment to many American citizens and law makers is considered abstract. The complexity of this concept can easily be traced back to its beginning in which it lacked an easily identifiable principle. Since its commencement in 1789 the United States Judicial system has had a hard time interpreting and translating this vague amendment. In many cases the courts have gone out of their way to protect the freedoms of the accused. The use of three major Supreme Court disputes will show the lengths these Justices have gone through, in order to preserve the rights and civil liberties of three criminals, who were accused of heinous crimes and in some cases were supposed to face up to a lifetime in federal prison.
Dred Scott was a slave. His master was an army surgeon who was based in Missouri. In the early 1830's and 1840's his master and him traveled to Illinois and the Wisconsin territory. It was in 1846 that Scott sued his master's widow for freedom. His argument was that the state of ...
“Separate is not equal.” In the case of Plessey vs. Ferguson in 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court said racial segregation didn’t violate the Constitution, so racial segregation became legal. In 1954 the case of Oliver Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka this case proved that separate is not equal. Oliver Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was revolutionary to the education system, because colored people and Caucasians had segregated schools. The Caucasians received a better education and the colored people argued that they were separate but not equal. This would pave the way for integrated schools and change the education system as we knew it.
The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides, "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury…nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property… nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation"(Cornell). The clauses within the Fifth Amendment outline constitutional limits on police procedure. Within them there is protection against self-incrimination, it protects defendants from having to testify if they may incriminate themselves through the testimony. A witness may plead the fifth and not answer to any questioning if they believe it can hurt them (Cornell). The Bill of Rights, which consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, enumerates certain basic personal liberties. Laws passed by elected officials that infringe on these liberties are invalidated by the judiciary as unconstitutional. The Fifth Amendment was ratified in 1791; the Framers of the Fifth Amendment intended that its revisions would apply only to the actions of the federal government. After the Fourteenth was ratified, most of the Fifth Amendment's protections were made applicable to the states. Under the Incorporation Doctrine, most of the liberties set forth in the Bill of Rights were made applicable to state governments through the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment (Burton, 2007).
The First Amendment is crucial in protecting the five fundamental freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of petition, and freedom of assembly. The Fourth Amendment is significant for it protects the individual’s privacy from the government and from government harassment. The Sixth Amendment is valuable since it provides the legal framework of the criminal legal system and to protect the accused person from abuse of power. Of all the Amendments of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment and the Sixth Amendment are the most
Miranda v. Arizona is a case that revolutionized the rights of an accused while in custody and interrogation. The Supreme court leaders based the rights of Mr. Miranda by the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution. The fifth amendment has been interpreted though the decision of supreme court rulings into the right to remain silent in an interrogation in order to prevent the accused to testify against himself. This amendment also protects any person from double jeopardy from the same crime, gives him or her a grand jury, and it requires for due process of law to come in effect in case a citizen is denied him or her from their right of life, liberty, or property.
According to the U.S. constitution, fundamental rights hold a special significance under the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments. The Fourteenth amendment states that, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without Due Process of law; nor deny to any person within its ju...