...Wedderburn case, despite being born in Jamaica to slave parents, Knight was granted freedom in England because slavery is not prohibited there. The British court states that, “the deplorable institution of slavery does not exist on British soil, even though the peculiar institution exists in British colonies. If American courts followed the decision of British courts, John would be granted freedom. Examining the United States Constitution's Stance on Slavery Question 3: The U.S. Constitution addresses slavery through the various laws such as the Fugitive Slave Cause, Slave Trade Clause, Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Dirty Compromise. (Week 7 Day 1 ppt) These collectively restrict certain rights from slaves that are given to normal citizens. These laws give John less rights and therefore have negative effects on his case. While there is no law that directly explains that state slave laws overrule the Constitution, the Constitution, based on the laws I stated above, describes how slaves were not considered or treated the same as citizens. This explains why the Supreme Court stated that, “Slaves were never intended to be citizens under the Constitution, and therefore, they can not access the court system.” The Supreme Court must decide whether John’s residence in Illinois, where slavery was prohibited, aligns with the equity that is stated in the Constitution. Ultimately, the court’s decision on the case will have an effect on slave rights and freedom within the Constitution. The...
Words: 1306 - Pages: 6
...the most controversial case was Dred Scott v. Stanford (1857). Scott was a born a slave and was owned to his master Peter. When Scott’s owner died, Peter appointed Dr. John Emerson as Scott’s new slave owner. Emerson was the new slave owner of Scott and traveled to Illinois and Missouri where slavery was outlawed by the Missouri Compromise. Scott wanted his freedom, but his slave owner did not agree with him so the debate ended up in the Supreme Court. Jurisdiction In the beginning, the Supreme Court Justices held that the case had no jurisdiction because Scott was not a considered a citizen. The court was limited to cases between citizens of the states therefore...
Words: 1023 - Pages: 5
...shown through the dehumanizing treatment of slaves but also the limitations that were placed to keep slaves fearful and dependent. As America grew there were conflicts over abolition and the expansion of slavery, this led to the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The Missouri Compromise divided states into a category of free or slave state, in which Maine became a free state and all western territories north of the southern border of Missouri were free territory (History). With this, Illinois was a free state, Dred Scott who was an enslaved man, and his family were taken into Illinois and when being taken back to Missouri which was a slave state, Dred sought to gain his freedom. During the year of 1846, Dred Scott, an enslaved black man, sued in the St. Louis Circuit Court to gain the freedom for himself and his wife. Scott...
Words: 3158 - Pages: 13
...Dr. John Emerson took his slave, Dred Scott, from Missouri to Illinois and Minnesota where they resided from 1834 to 1838. Illinois and Minnesota are located in the territory north of 36° 30' and identified as free states under the Missouri Compromise. Scott returned to Missouri in 1838 and years later, Dr. Emerson died. Scott brought suit against Emerson’s widow in the Missouri courts, claiming his residency in free territory changed his status to free. The lower court decided in favor of Scott, but in 1852, the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the decision. Scott’s ownership was transferred to John Sanford, the brother of Mrs. Emerson’s new husband. The family filed a suit on Scott’s behalf against Sanford in the U.S. Circuit Court in Missouri, where Scott appealed to the Supreme Court on a writ of error. The ruling in the U.S. Circuit Court in Missouri was in favor of Sanford. Scott brought suit to the Supreme Court to decide on his status of citizenship and the rights he could receive from the Constitution. Issue Is a slave who was taken into free territory able to become a United States citizen and receive rights from the Constitution? Rule...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...debated was related to economic issues. Many of the debaters believed that brining slaves to California would do nothing but “degrade white labor-free to disturb the social and political harmony of the state” (Browne, 145). In the end, bringing slaves to California will disrupt economic success to Californian citizens. Emancipated slaves would create competition for labor, increase monopolies of capitalists,...
Words: 486 - Pages: 2
...Background of the Case In 1857, Missouri slave Dred Scott's case came into this highly charged environment and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Popular sovereignty allowing states to decide the slavery issue and affirming slave owners' right to take their slaves into Western territories were key issues for the court. Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota were free states when Scott lived there with his owner. In Dred Scott v. Sandford, Scott claimed he was free since he had lived...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...African American slaves gained their freedom because of the Thirteenth Amendment. But, were not treated with all do respect. African American slaves did not gain their freedom in the Reconstruction Era. African American slaves did not gain total freedom because of an act called the Disenfranchisement. There were three different sections in this act that ex-slaves had to go through in order to have the opportunity to vote as a citizen. One of them was called the Grandfather Clause. The Grandfather Clause was introduced by Southern legislatures to allow many whites to vote without having to go through any of the other sections of the act. This clearly terminated blacks from voting. Also the Disenfranchisement also made citizens pay for a tax...
Words: 603 - Pages: 3
...noticed, citizens can make it a priority to be heard because without a voice there can be no guidelines. In government, boundaries are needed to lead its citizens towards a righteous path; however, if a citizen leans toward another path of righteousness a voice is needed to be heard. Citizens should not be lurking in the shadows and keeping an opinion bottled up to never be heard. If an idea or belief gets shot down, a citizen can try again to make their idea noticed. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses civil disobedience in “ Letter from Birmingham Jail,” as “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (173). Although civil disobedience can alter life drastically, it does not mean to continue on the path of insanity, but to stand up for what you believe is just. While standing up for justice is admirable, however, it is not always easy. In Iran, the government can take disciplinary action towards its citizens striking fear and panic into their souls. In the book The Complete Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi, in which she discusses a hectic life in Iran. In chapter fourteen “The Wine,” Satrapi discusses how the government takes disciplinary action towards the citizens who chose to rebel by having a party. The citizens found at the party are thrown in jail or are physically abused (103-110). Although the government took action against its people, the citizens continued to...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
...in 1833. The opinion of the court was written by Chief Justen John Marshall. The decision upheld that the Bill of Rights delegated no power to the states and was only an application of the Federal Government. At that time, the Constitution was, seemingly, created only to apply to the Federal Government and not for individual states. Some states had drafted their own constitutions; however, Maryland had no law which mirrored the Fifth Amendment. The Supreme Court thus lacked jurisdiction (or power) to hear Barron's case and dismissed it. The Dred Scott v Sandford ruling ultimately ruled that African Americans, whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not formally sue in federal court. The Court, subsequently, ruled that Congress lacked power to ban slavery in the U.S. territories. Finally, the Court declared that the rights of slave owners were constitutionally protected by the Fifth Amendment because...
Words: 1296 - Pages: 6
...Slavery in Ancient Rome Rome as far research show had always exploited slaves, however during the early Republic Rome saw its slave population multiply significantly from a series of wars and conquests. This paper will discuss the rights and responsibilities of Roman slaves during the Republican era and early empire. It will also analyze the impact slavery had on Rome’s economic situation as well the impact on roman society and culture. Rome did not always have such an abundance of slaves. It was not until they conquered Corinth and sacked Carthage did they amass a significant amount of slaves. Some authors estimate that the number of slaves reached 300 000-350 000 in a total population of 900 000- 950 000 in Rome during the Augustan era.[1] It is of course impossible to determine the exact amount of slaves during this time, but nevertheless this estimate of slaves is still one third of the population. The Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage mark the beginning of Rome’s “addiction” to slavery. After Rome had consolidated the main land of what is now Italy, this brought them into contact with much greater powers. The first Punic War (264-241 B.C) began when both Rome and Carthage took interest in Sicily.[2] Herodotus notes the significance of this first of many battles by comparing it to the battle of Salamis. He states, “They say too, that the victory of Gelo and Thero in Sicily over Hamilcar the Carthaginians tell out upon the very day that the Hellenes...
Words: 3298 - Pages: 14
...about slavery and violence in the South. Slaves and violence were definitely two important things to citizens living in the South. Something created for these citizens was slave patrol. This concept pleased the South a lot. Slave patrol was influenced very much. The amount of violence in the South was another key idea that was talked about a lot in chapter three. The South lived for violence. The different types of violence that occurred are very horrifying. What they allowed to happen in the South is terrible. This was definitely a very dangerous part of the country looking back in history. In the text it states “Included in the list of laws enforced by developing Southern police departments was a substantial number of criminal violations directly supporting slavery, enumerated in slave codes adopted by colonial, and later state, legislature”(Wadman and Allison, pg. 31). Slavery was well supported and influenced in the South. They even created a concept called slave patrols where law enforcement would make sure that codes were enforced and so that the southern economic mechanism of slavery was preserved. Citizens in the south feared that slavery would end because they would have too much power if they all began to run away and get away with it. The South also called their slaves their “property” which is disturbing. Slaves were not even seen as humans. They were seen more as an object to the Southern citizens. The punishments for the slaves were very brutal also. The South was...
Words: 521 - Pages: 3
...the building of the Parthenon, to the White House, to mundane, everyday tasks, slaves have been vital to the establishment and continued success of numerous past civilizations. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in ancient Greece and Rome and in the first centuries of the United States. Slavery in all three of these civilizations slavery has its parallels, but the very institution varies widely between these societies as well. Although ancient Greek and Roman slavery and slavery in the United...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...Justin Fortuny 9/29/16 Mrs. Perez Period 8 Dred Scott v. Sandford Dred Scott v. Sandford was in 1856-1857. This was when the Supreme Court stated that African Americans were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. During this time, the Court also ruled that Congress lacked the power to ban slavery on U.S. territories. After, the Court declared that the rights of slave owners were protected by the Fifth Amendment because slaves were seen as property. This means that slaves were seen as objects and something you can buy with money. This problem began in 1833, when Dr. John Emerson bought Dred Scott and eventually moved Scott to a base in the Wisconsin Territory. Slavery was banned in the territory near the Missouri Compromise. Scott lived there for the next four years. He hired himself out for work during the long stretches when Emerson was away. During 1840, Scott, his wife, and their children moved to Louisiana and then to St. Louis with Emerson. Emerson died in 184.This left the Scott family to his wife (Eliza Irene Sanford). In 1846, after years of laboring, the Scotts wanted to buy their freedom from Sanford, but she refused. Dred Scott then sued Sanford in a state court, arguing that he was legally free because he...
Words: 805 - Pages: 4
...The Closing Argument for the Petitioner Dred Scott I shall summarize my legal case history such that all can remember the details and gain a better understanding of my case. My name is Dred Scott, I was born a slave in Virginia around 1800. I was bought by Peter Blow and worked on the family farm until 1819. The Blow family moved to St. Louis, Missouri and opened up a boarding house called the Jefferson Hotel. Peter Blow rented out my services to the river boats on the Mississippi River. In 1832, I was subsequently sold to an army surgeon, Dr. John Emerson for five hundred dollars. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Emerson went to live at Fort Armstrong in Illinois. Illinois was a free state and did not allow slavery. Three years later, Dr. Emerson was transferred to Fort Snelling on the Mississippi River in the Wisconsin Territory, again another slave free territory. During this time, Dr. Emerson purchased a female slave named Harriet Robinson. We fell in love, considered ourselves married and eventually had four children. Following a short period at Fort Jessup in Louisiana, Dr. Emerson returned to St. Louis with his wife Irene and my family. In December 1843, Dr. Emerson died and bequeathed my family and me to his wife. After the death of Dr. Emerson, I tried to purchase my families freedom from the widow Mrs. Emerson. When she refused to sell our freedom, I filed a lawsuit for our family’s freedom. On April 6, 1846, the lawsuit was filed where I claimed that I should be given my...
Words: 1304 - Pages: 6
...To begin with, Athens was not a true democracy because the number of people who could participate in the government was very limited. Conversely, a democracy meant that everyone could express their thoughts and ideas through the government by either votes or directly. Consequently, the fact that not everyone could have a say in government unquestionably contradicts the idea of democracy. According to Document B: The Athenian Constitution by Aristotle, “The franchise is open to all men who are of citizen birth by both parents. They are enrolled as citizens at the age of eighteen… citizens give their votes first on whether the candidates are free born, and has two citizen parents as the laws require… If the court decides that he has no right...
Words: 352 - Pages: 2
