LAD 14- Dred Scott Decision

Dred Scott Decision

Through the trial Dred Scott vs. Sanford the court addressed many important issues. These issues included things such as, the status of blacks in society, the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise and Scott's status as a free man or a alsve. The first decision to be made was that Scott was not a citizen and for that matter was property. Since neither property or aliens can legally sue, there was no decision to be made. This obviously also meant that Scott was considered a slave since that was his status before the case and therefore it would continue to be his status. The court also made it clear that the Missouri Compromise worked against due process and the inalienable rights of humans. This was clearly an issue because these rights are defended in the constitution and were very obviously being denied through the fact that people were not being allowed to decide if they wanted slaves or not. This put the law in violation of the constitution and therefore it must be considered unconstitutional and thrown out. This was a great ruling for the South cause it meant that slaves could now be held anywhere in the Lousiana Territory. Without these limitations the North took one step backward in their quest to put an end to slavery.