Today In Black History

The Dred Scott Case: Black History Facts You Should Know!

Issue #433 Black History Friday, December 8, 2023

Welcome to this Today in Black History post. Black History IS American History, no matter how hard some people try to erase our history and contributions.

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Today’s Black WOW!

The Dred Scott case began in 1846 when an enslaved man named Dred Scott sued for his freedom. Scott, who had been taken to free territories by his owner, argued that his residency in these areas should grant him emancipation, as slavery was prohibited in those regions. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1857, the United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, writing for the majority, declared that enslaved Black people were not citizens and had no rights under the Constitution. He further ruled that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, effectively invalidating the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Taney was married to Anne Phoebe Carlton Key, the sister of Taney's long-time friend, Francis Scott Key. The third stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” written by slave owner, Francis Scott Key, who also held anti-abolitionist views, mentions slaves and their role in the battle – on both the American and British sides.

The Dred Scott decision was a devastating blow to the abolitionist movement and the hopes of many Black Americans striving for freedom and equality. It reinforced the institution of slavery and entrenched racial discrimination as a constitutional principle. The ruling also heightened tensions between the North and South, exacerbating the already volatile issue of slavery that would eventually lead to the American Civil War.

Fast forward to the present day, and the ramifications of the Dred Scott case still reverberate throughout our society, with many whites perpetuating the idea that “blacks have no constitutional rights that whites were duty-bound to respect.” 

The decision of Scott v. Sandford, considered by many legal scholars to be the worst ever rendered by the Supreme Court, was overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery and declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens of the United States.

This is a quick reminder that Trump and many far-right Republicans want to repeal the 14th Amendment, specifically the “birthright citizenship” clause, because they think that too many brown immigrants are having babies in America and are therefore creating too many automatic brown American citizens. 

Today in Black History

- In 1850, Lucy Ann Stanton became the first Black female college graduate when she received a Baccalaureate Degree in Literature from Oberlin College.

- In 1895, Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II drove out the Italian General Baratieri.

- In 1936, Gibbs vs the Board of Education of Montgomery County, Maryland became the NAACP’s first lawsuit filed seeking equal salaries for Black and white teachers.

- In 1987, Kurt Liddell Schmoke was inaugurated mayor of Baltimore, Maryland.

- In 1993, Whitney Houston won for “The Bodyguard” soundtrack at the 4th Billboard Awards.

- In 2019, Black South African Zozbini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe.

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