In what ways did the Dred Scott case challenge the institution of slavery and law in America?

Question

Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man, husband, and father who sued for his right and that of his wife and daughter to be remain a free persons after having lived as a free people in the state of Wisconsin. According to the Missouri Compromise (1820), any state about the Mason Dixon line was considered a free state. Since Dred Scott and his family had lived in Wisconsin, a free state, his status automatically became that of a free man since slavery was forbidden in Wisconsin which was North of the Mason Dixon Line. If Scott and his family were being held enslaved in Wisconsin, his "owner" and the state were breaking federal and state law--either way, the laws were in Dred Scott's favor. When Dred Scott and his owner returned to Missouri, he was regarded as enslaved and for this, he sued, arguing that since he had lived free, his status should have been that of a free man. The Supreme Court heard the case, and ruled against Dred Scott arguing that African Americans were not citizens and there had no rights that "a white man" was "bound to respect." In addition, African Americans could not expect protection from the federal government or the courts. In addition, Dred Scott's case became one of the precursor's to the Civil War, and it is also a pathway discussion to how the federal conversation protects undocumented people in America.

Answer 1

It looks like you've already started writing a strong response to the prompt! I would advise proofreading a little bit, and then writing a thesis sentence that directly answers the question "In what ways did the Dred Scott case challenge the institution of slavery and law in America?"

Remember, your thesis should be a compound sentence! A tried and trustworthy sentence frame is "While the Dred Scott case did not ___, it did challege the institution of slavery by highlighting ___ and presenting ___"

You can fill in the blanks in this sentence frame with some of the points in your original post such as:

1. Dred Scott did not win his case; he and his family remained enslaved after the Supreme Court's decision
2. Dred Scott's case further explored the question of the free states's obligations to slave states, which had previously been raised by the fugitive slave act of 1850
3. Dred Scott's case highlighted the absurdity of slave law in America, as well as the federal government's commitment to appeasing slave owners, which garnered sympathy for the abolitionist cause.
4. Dred Scott's case went through the judicial branch of the government, unlike many of the prior noteworthy challenges to slavery that occured in the executive and legislative branches

If you polish up your introductory paragraph and add all these points into a thesis sentence, you'll have a very strong response the question! I'm happy to help if you'd like any further assistance ( :