Primary Documents in American History

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The Supreme Court decision Dred Scott v. Sandford was issued on March 6, 1857. Delivered by Chief Justice Roger Taney, this opinion declared that slaves were not citizens of the United States and could not sue in Federal courts. In addition, this decision declared that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. The Dred Scott decision was overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution.

Library of Congress Web Site | External Web Sites | Selected Bibliography

Ditigal Collections

Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress

The complete Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 20,000 documents.

• Abraham Lincoln, [December 1856] (Speech Fragment on Dred Scott Case)

The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress

The online collection, containing approximately 7,400 items, spans the years 1841-1964, with the bulk of the material dating from 1862 to 1865.

• Two Speeches by Frederick Douglass; West India Emancipation.. And the Dred Scott Decision

From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909

This collection presents 396 pamphlets from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, published from 1822 through 1909, by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics.

• The slavery question. Dred Scott decision : to the free voters of Ohio.

Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860

This collection contains just over a hundred pamphlets and books (published between 1772 and 1889) concerning the difficult and troubling experiences of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and the United States.

• The case of Dred Scott in the United States Supreme Court.
• The Dred Scott decision : opinion of Chief Justice Taney, with an introduction.
• An examination of the case of Dred Scott against Sandford, in the Supreme Court of the United States, and a full and fair exposition of the decision of the court, and of the opinions of the majority of the judges. Prepared at the request of, and read before "The Geneva Literary and Scientific Association," on Tuesday evening, 28th December, 1858.
• Historical and legal examination of that part of the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Dred Scott case, which declares the unconstitutionality of the Missouri Compromise Act, and the self-extension of the Constitution to territories, carrying slavery along with it : with an appendix ...
• A legal review of the case of Dred Scott, as decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.
• A review of the decision of the Supreme court of the United States in the Dred Scott case.
• Records and briefs of the United States Supreme Court. No. 137. Dred Scott, vs. John F. A. Sanford
• Report of the decision of the Supreme court of the United States, and the opinions of the judges thereof, in the case of Dred Scott versus John F.A. Sandford. December term, 1856.

Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years

In honor of the Manuscript Division's centennial, its staff has selected for online display approximately ninety representative documents spanning from the fifteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.

• Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote a letter to Caleb Cushing on November 9, 1857, thanking Cushing for his support of Taney's decision in the Dred Scott case.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

Chronicling America

This site allows you to search and view millions of historic American newspaper pages from 1789-1924. Search this collection to find newspaper articles that discuss the Dred Scott Case.

A selection of articles about the Dred Scott Case includes:

• "The Dred Scott Case," New-York Daily Tribune. (New York, New York), March 9, 1857.
• "The Decision of the Supreme Court," Anti-Slavery Bugle. (New Lisbon, Ohio), March 21, 1857.
• "The Original Dred Scott a Resident of St. Louis--Sketch of His History," Holmes County Republican. (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio), April 16, 1857.

Today in History

May 21, 1796

Reverdy Johnson was born in Annapolis, Maryland on May, 21, 1796. Johnson, although personally opposed to slavery, was the attorney who represented the slave owner in the Dred Scott case.

External Web Sites

The Dred Scott Case, National Park Service

The Dred Scott Case, Washington University in St. Louis

Landmark Cases, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Street Law and the Supreme Court Historical Society

Landmark Decisions, Scott v. Sandford, Findlaw

Our Documents, Dred Scott v. Sanford, National Archives and Records Administration

Selected Bibliography

Ehrlich, Walter. They Have No Rights: Dred Scott's Struggle for Freedom. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1979. [Catalog Record]

Fehrenbacher, Don E. The Dred Scott Case: Its Significance in American Law and Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. [Catalog Record]

Finkelman, Paul. Dred Scott v. Sandford: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. [Catalog Record]

Kaufman, Kenneth C. Dred Scott's Advocate: A Biography of Roswell M. Field. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1996. [Catalog Record]

Konig, David Thomas, Paul Finkelman, and Christopher Alan Bracey, eds. The Dred Scott Case: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Race and Law. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2010. [Catalog Record]

Maltz, Earl M. Dred Scott and the Politics of Slavery. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2007. [Catalog Record]

Younger Readers

January, Brendan. The Dred Scott Decision. New York: Children's Press, 1998. [Catalog Record]

Fleischner, Jennifer. The Dred Scott Case: Testing the Right to Live Free. Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 1997. [Catalog Record]

Freedman, Suzanne. Roger Taney: The Dred Scott Legacy. Springfield, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 1995. [Catalog Record]

Herda, D. J. The Dred Scott Case: Slavery and Citizenship. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 2011. [Catalog Record]

Skog, Jason. The Dred Scott Decision. Minneapolis: Compass Point Books, 2007. [Catalog Record]