What did the Supreme Court conclude in Dred Scott v. Sandford?

Question

A.
Neither enslaved African Americans nor their descendants could be citizens.

B.
Slavery could not be abolished through an amendment to the Constitution.

C.
Enslaved people became free when they entered a free state or territory.

D.
Racial segregation of public facilities was legal if the facilities were equal.

Answer 1

The Supreme Court concluded in Dred Scott v. Sandford that:

A. Neither enslaved African Americans nor their descendants could be citizens.

This ruling effectively denied citizenship and legal rights to African Americans, whether free or enslaved, and was a significant factor in the intensifying tensions leading up to the American Civil War.