I have written before about the infamous Dred Scott decision, which the Supreme Court handed down this week in 1857. In that case the slave Dred Scott sued for his freedom, arguing that because his travels with his owner took him into free territories where slavery was banned, legally he was a free man. The Supreme Court, as we know, ruled otherwise. In this lesson I want to review the case in a larger context because the political ramifications of Dred Scott are virtually unequaled in our history.
In its decision, the court ruled that because Dred Scott was originally a slave, he was not a U.S. citizen, and therefore had no standing in a federal court, meaning he couldn’t sue in a federal court, meaning he remained a slave.
Had the court left it there, sticking with the technical and arguably (at the time) correct point that Scott’s lack of citizenship undermined his case, Dred Scott would never have achieved its notoriety.
But the court went further, rendering the sweeping opinion that even if Scott could sue in a federal court he would have lost because the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which forbade slavery’s expansion into all new territories north of Missouri’s southern border (resulting in the free territories that Scott based his lawsuit on) was unconstitutional.
Slaves were property, the court ruled, and under the Constitution Congress had no power to forbid citizens from taking their property anywhere they wanted.
Politically, the decision galvanized northerners, who had long complained about the Constitution’s “Three-fifths Clause,” in which slaves were counted as three-fifths of a white person when deciding a state’s population. Since a state’s population also determined the number of representatives a state sent to Congress, southern states had dominated both Congress and the presidency. In Dred Scott’s wake, northerners, especially northern Republicans, concluded that southern Democrats now also controlled the Supreme Court.
Equally important, the preeminent political issue of the day was whether the new territories the United States had acquired in the Mexican-American War were to become free or slave states. Northerners argued the former, southerners the latter, but many in the middle argued for “popular” sovereignty,” in which the people in those territories would decide the issue for themselves.
Yet the court’s Dred Scott decision said that neither the politicians nor the people would decide the issue. Just us judges.
Speaking of politics, the decision so inflamed a former politician — then practicing law — that he, Abraham Lincoln, became the first Republican to run for and win the presidency in the election of 1860. Lincoln’s election led to the Civil War, which trumped even the Supreme Court in deciding the slavery issue once and for all.
Bruce G. Kauffmann’s e-mail address is bruce@historylessons.net.
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Bruce’s History Lessons: The Political ramifications of the Dred Scott decision
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Bruce’s history lessons: Truman’s decision to recognize Israel
This week (May 14) in 1948, at the direction of President Harry Truman, the United States recognized the existence of the newly formed state of Israel, which had declared independence earlier that day. It was, Truman later stated, among the most important decisions of his presidency.
- Reunion listings: May 16, 2013
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Chances and Services for Youth to participate in food program
The Chances and Services for Youth recently announced plans to participate in the Summer Food Service Program.
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South Latin students compete at convention
Terre Haute South Vigo High School Latin students competed with other Indiana schools at the recent state convention at ISU.
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Southwest Parke School Corp. receives eLearning grant
Southwest Parke Community School Corp. has received an Imagining and Creating eLearning grant for the 2013-2014 school year through the Indiana Department of Education.
- Newsmakers: May 16, 2013
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Otter Creek competes in regional Academic Super Bowl
The Otter Creek Academic Super Bowl teams competed in the regional Academic Super Bowl competition on April 27 at Sarah Scott Middle School.
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Riverton Parke FFA teams compete at April 16 contest
Two Riverton Parke FFA Parliamentary Procedure Teams competed at the section competition for the Parliamentary Procedure Demonstration Contest on April 16 at the Indiana FFA Center in Trafalgar.
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Parks offering summer day camp
The Terre Haute Parks and Recreation Department is now accepting registrations for its summer day camp.
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State recognizes counties for improving college success
Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers recognized 26 Indiana counties for working to increase the percentage of Hoosiers with education beyond high school. The counties are members of Indiana’s College Success Coalition, a statewide network focused on improving college access and success.
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College Challenge program earns accreditation
Indiana State University’s College Challenge program for high school students has earned initial accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships.
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ISP offers youth an up close look at law enforcement
Most television viewers have seen at least part of a CSI or Law and Order episode. These shows seem to have spurred a new interest in law enforcement and forensics. For more than 40 years the Indiana State Police have been giving young people an up close look at law enforcement through its youth camps program.
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Goals, Pride & Achievements: May 16, 2013
Alyssa A. Barnes of Clinton graduated from Purdue University on Sunday.
She has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management, with a minor in psychology. -
Woodrow Wilson students collect funds for animals
The leadership team from Woodrow Wilson Middle School sponsored a week of giving to collect funds and supplies for the Terre Haute Humane shelter.
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Riverton Parke academic bowl team finishes strong
The Riverton Parke English academic bowl team finished as runner-up at the state finals competition on May 4 at Purdue University, and the social studies team swept through all of its last eight questions without a miss to finish third in the contest.
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Turkey Run High School names top 2013 students
Kaleigh Basan has been named valedictorian and Jeff Woods and Kendall Davies are co-salutatorians for the Turkey Run High School Class of 2013.
Graduation ceremonies will be in the high school gymnasium at 11 a.m. May 25 with 36 students receiving their diplomas. -
Bruce’s history lessons: Spring Cleaning 2013
Time for my annual “Spring Cleaning” column, in which I address reader issues and answer “Frequently Asked Questions.”
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Moats gets ISU Rankin Award
Indiana State University has honored Katelynn Moats of Terre Haute with the Rankin Memorial Distinguished Senior Award in recognition of her contributions to the betterment of the university.
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Turkey Run to honor seniors
Turkey Run High School will hold its senior awards and recognition program at 7 p.m. Monday in the ELC room. A reception will be held from 6 to 7 p.m.
The program for freshmen to juniors will be held at 1:32 p.m. May 16 in the high school gymnasium. -
Honey Creek math club earns gold status
Honey Creek Middle School has received Gold Level Status as a participant of the 2013 MATHCOUNTS Club.
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Riverton Parke students bring home art awards
Students from 15 schools in west central Indiana competed in the 34th annual d’Arlier Trust Spring Art Show on April 19-25 in Veedersburg. Four Riverton Parke High School students won a total of nine awards in six of the show’s 20 categories.
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Parke Adult Tutoring Service awards mini-grant
The Parke Adult Tutoring Service has awarded a mini-grant of $270 to Riverton Parke English teacher Mike Lunsford to purchase reading materials for his students.
- Vigo County School Corp. Honor Roll — Middle School, Second Grading Period
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BRUCE’S HISTORY LESSONS: The Civil War: Means versus ends
The Civil War began this week (April 12) in 1861 with the shelling of the Union fort, Fort Sumter, by Confederate troops in South Carolina. Four years later that war ended with the total defeat of the Confederacy, and in the war’s wake many historians have concluded that a Union victory was inevitable given the huge advantages that the Union North had in terms of manpower, weaponry, manufacturing and industrial capacity.
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SMWC honored for ‘Pomeroy Pride’
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College received a silver award from the “Higher Education Marketing Report” 28th Annual Educational Advertising Awards. The full-page ad publicly announced the launch of the SMWC’s campaign to build a sports and recreation center, titled the “Pomeroy Pride Campaign.”
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ISU students garner awards at ITEEA conference
A group of Indiana State University technology and engineering education students talked to each other over walkie-talkies as they recently went to Columbus, Ohio, in a three-car caravan.
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Indiana State to be recognized for ‘Celebrating Sustainability’
Indiana State University will be recognized in two venues this month as one of 20 colleges and universities nationwide that exemplify the mission of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to re-stabilize the earth’s climate through education, research and community engagement.
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Pimento reunion dinner set for May 11
The Pimento School reunion dinner will be held May 11 at Hoosier Prairie School. Friendship hour will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. A meeting and program will conclude the evening.
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ISU taking applications for Summer Honors program
Indiana State University is accepting applications from talented high school students interested in taking part in this year’s Summer Honors program.
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ISU student selected as a Newman Fellow
Katelynn Taylor, a junior at Indiana State University, is one of 181 student leaders nationwide selected by Campus Compact as 2013 Newman Civic Fellows.
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