Why did the Supreme Court take the Dred Scott case despite the Missouri Supreme Court already ruling against Scott?
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Correct answer: To settle the constitutional debate over slavery in the territories
Chief Justice Taney and the pro-slavery majority hoped that a definitive Supreme Court ruling would remove the issue of slavery from congressional debate and provide a final legal resolution to the sectional crisis. Instead, it further inflamed the country.
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More Dred Scott v. Sandford questions
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- Which specific clause of the Constitution did Taney interpret as protecting a slaveholder’s right to bring property into any territory?
- What happened to Dred Scott shortly after the Supreme Court issued its ruling?
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- Which legal principle, previously used in Missouri, was overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court prior to the case reaching the U.S. Suprem…
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