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Dred Scott v. Sandford Practice Questions

20 free Dred Scott v. Sandford practice questions for the US History, each with the correct answer and a detailed explanation. Open any question below, or take the full set as an interactive quiz.

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All Dred Scott v. Sandford questions

20 questions
  1. Q1. On what primary legal basis did Dred Scott argue for his freedom before the Supreme Court?
  2. Q2. What was Chief Justice Roger B. Taney's ruling regarding the citizenship of African Americans?
  3. Q3. The Dred Scott decision declared which major 19th-century act of Congress unconstitutional?
  4. Q4. Which constitutional amendment was used by the Court to argue that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories?
  5. Q5. What was the immediate political consequence of the Dred Scott decision for the Democratic Party?
  6. Q6. How did the Republican Party respond to the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling?
  7. Q7. What was the legal status of the 'Slave Power' conspiracy theory after the Dred Scott ruling?
  8. Q8. Justice Benjamin Curtis's dissent in the case was notable because he pointed out that:
  9. Q9. In the context of the Dred Scott case, what does the term 'obiter dictum' refer to?
  10. Q10. What was the 'Freeport Doctrine' and how did it relate to the Dred Scott case?
  11. Q11. Why did the Supreme Court take the Dred Scott case despite the Missouri Supreme Court already ruling against Scott?
  12. Q12. How did the Dred Scott decision affect the 1860 Presidential Election?
  13. Q13. Which specific clause of the Constitution did Taney interpret as protecting a slaveholder’s right to bring property into any territory?
  14. Q14. What happened to Dred Scott shortly after the Supreme Court issued its ruling?
  15. Q15. The Dred Scott decision is often cited as a contributing factor to the start of the Civil War because it:
  16. Q16. Which legal principle, previously used in Missouri, was overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court prior to the case reaching the U.S. Supreme Court?
  17. Q17. Which of the following best describes the 'Sandford' in the case title Dred Scott v. Sandford?
  18. Q18. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution directly addressed the Dred Scott decision by:
  19. Q19. Which of the following was NOT a part of Taney's majority opinion in the Dred Scott case?
  20. Q20. The Dred Scott v. Sandford case is an example of which of the following judicial philosophies?