Question

Which of the following resulted from the Dred Scott decision?

The fugitive slave law was declared unconstitutional.
Freeing a slave against his master's wishes was ruled to be a violation of due process of law.
The Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional.
Dred Scott remained a slave.
The U.S. Constitution appeared to support slavery.
Proslavery people were alarmed.
A slave was ruled to be a non-citizen with no right to sue in federal court.

Answer 1

Correct results of the Dred Scott decision (1857)

True
- The Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional. The Court ruled Congress could not bar slavery from the territories.
- A slave was ruled to be a non‑citizen with no right to sue in federal court. The Court held African Americans (enslaved or free) were not U.S. citizens.
- Freeing a slave against his master's wishes was ruled to violate due process of law. The decision held that banning slavery in the territories would unlawfully deprive owners of property (Fifth Amendment).
- The U.S. Constitution appeared to support slavery. The majority opinion framed the Constitution as protecting slaveholders' property rights.

False
- The fugitive slave law was declared unconstitutional. (Not true; Dred Scott did not invalidate the Fugitive Slave Act.)
- Proslavery people were alarmed. (Actually, antislavery Northerners were alarmed; proslavery advocates generally welcomed the decision.)

Note: Although the Court’s ruling left Dred Scott legally a slave, he was later emancipated by his original owners after the decision.