US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case Research Paper

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda

Dred Scott v Sandford (60 U.S. 393) was an ironic case decided on March 6, 1857, by the U.S. Supreme Court. For our studies, the relevant part of the decision was the part regarding Dred Scott’s petition to be judged a free man. Dred Scott as a man of African descent and his wife, who was also an African, were still considered slaves and property of their owner even if they had already resided in Missouri, a state the held slavery illegal. The court justified its decision based on the fact that the fifth amendment prohibited the deprivation of property without due process. Property, in this case, included chattels like slaves. The decision also denied citizenship and all its privileges to slaves.

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Research Paper on US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case
808 writers online

Personally, I found this case dehumanizing because despite the earliest constitution saying “all men are born free and equal” here is an example of hypocrisy, saying one thing and then doing something completely different. It bothers me that there is no freedom or equality for Scott instead he is a piece of property and giving him freedom is tantamount to stealing him from his owner. I think the travesty of the decision would have helped inspire my author to write her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The Fugitive slave law of 1850 was the final law of its sort to be passed in the U.S. was an oppressive retrogressive law that strengthened slavery as an institution in the U.S. its most controversial aspects could be found in sections 5 to 7. Section five made it mandatory for any federal marshal or government official in any state to arrest a runaway slave and bring him back to his owner. Section 6 said that a runaway slave should be brought back to his master regardless of how far he had succeeded in fleeing. Section 8 punished with a huge fine anyone who aids and abets a known slave. In other words, the law made a run-away slave a criminal, and aiding them is akin to being an accomplice to a crime. In other words, a slave by running away becomes a criminal stealing himself from his owner therefore he has to be arrested and brought back. Another terrible law brought to us from the day civil liberties were a sham. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s abolitionist tendencies were inspired by the travesty of the Fugitive Slave Act.

Abolitionism is the movement that seeks to abolish slavery. John Brown, the 19th century’s most tragic American (Blue 481) was perhaps the most famous of these radicals. The Abolitionists were considered radicals because they often resorted to illegal means to achieve their goals. John Brown for instance tried to start a rebellion in Virginia by walking there with armed men and inciting the slaves to rebel. Others helped Blacks by hiding them from the authorities that tried to arrest them and force them to go back to their slavers. In General, the abolitionists believed that slavery was evil and tried their best to free the Blacks. By order of the Fugitive Slave Act, the abolitionists who tried to help the Blacks getaway were now fugitives and criminals themselves. This was unfair because they were being punished for a humanitarian act.

These three topics put Harriet Beecher Stowe’s work Uncle Tom’s Cabin into perspective. She wrote it in the face of mounting injustices suffered by those of African ancestry as well as the suffering and risks that Whites took in order to help them in their miserable plight. Her book is an inspirational story that opened the eyes of the world to the fate of slaves. Although derided as a fantasy and exaggeration in the South, the North saw it for what it was an account of how Slavery as an institution was wrong. People in the north were further inspired to end slavery because of her and pretty soon a war would be fought to settle the issue of slavery. Is it no wonder that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe in the midst of the civil war he said “So you’re the little woman that started this great war! (Stowe 203)”

Works Cited

393. Web.

1850. Web.

1 hour!
The minimum time our certified writers need to deliver a 100% original paper

Blue, Frederick, in 111 American Historical Review 481 (2006).

Stowe, Charles Edward. Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Story of Her Life. (1911).

Print
Need an custom research paper on US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, September 22). US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case. https://ivypanda.com/essays/us-history-dred-scott-v-sandford-case/

Work Cited

"US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case." IvyPanda, 22 Sept. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/us-history-dred-scott-v-sandford-case/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) 'US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case'. 22 September.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. "US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case." September 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/us-history-dred-scott-v-sandford-case/.

1. IvyPanda. "US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case." September 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/us-history-dred-scott-v-sandford-case/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "US History: Dred Scott v Sandford Case." September 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/us-history-dred-scott-v-sandford-case/.

Powered by CiteTotal, bibliography tool
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1