Dred Scott Primary Source Analysis

Students will read and analyze excerpts from Taney's majority opinion on the Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court Case, Curtis' dissenting opinion, and two contemporary newspaper excerpts. They will answer 25 questions of varying degrees of difficulty. The answers are included where appropriate and this would be great for a sub!  ***Note, the correct spelling is Sanford, but it was written into the official record as Sandford and never formally corrected.***

 Sample questions include:
--How does Taney interpret “citizen?”
--On what grounds does he refer to the Declaration of Independence? 
--Explain the support Taney believes he has, historically, from Congress on classifying citizens.
--Does Taney believe the answer to number 12 was constitutional, why or why not?
--Compare and contrast Curtis’ approach to categorizing citizens to Taney’s.
--Inferring from the text, could Curtis have been considered an abolitionist, why or why not?
--Did the ruling of the Dred Scott case lead to increased nationalism or sectionalism and why?

Click here for more US History resources from Stephanie's History Store