LAD #19: The Dred Scott Decision

Summarize:

The Dred Scott encompassed a slave, Dred Scott, who had lived in states where the act of owning slaves was illegal for nine years and sued his owner for the right to his and his family's freedom. However logical Dred Scott's case may have seemed, Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney ruled that because Dred Scott was not a citizen he, therefore, had no right to sue his master. This landmark case established a precedent of how African Americans were viewed in the eyes of the law, but at the same time reflected a case looked back upon in a dark viewpoint as one of the worst supreme court decisions in history.

See the source image
Dred Scott Case Political Cartoon
This political cartoon depicts the effect of the Dred Scott case on the 1860 political cartoon as it reflected the role of slavery on politics in this time, as well as, the overarching division of the country.

See the source image
Plessy v. Ferguson Court Case
The Plessy v. Ferguson Court case made the famous ruling of separate but equal. This launched an era of intense racial discrimination that was already present in America. This court case established the segregation by race in America and its place in the law of the land, essentially, this case made it okay to segregate based on the color of people's skin. Similarly to the Dred Scott case, today this case is seen as the beginning to a dark era in America's history, as it wasn't separate but equal, rather, it was often separate and unequal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LAD #14: Calhouns' Speech on the Compromise of 1850

Image
Summarize: John C. Calhoun reflects on the disunity of the United States and how it is a sure sign of a civil war yet to come. Calhoun notices that the main cause of this disunion stemmed from the question of the morality and necessity of slavery. This created a geographic, moral, and political divide between north and south America. John C. Calhoun also describes that although this conflict has been apparent for many years, the climax of this argument has not occurred because of all the steps the government and leaders have taken to distract from the discontent and to appease both sides of the argument. However, Calhoun reveals that he believes that the increasing of the divide between the North and the South is born from the South's belief that they should have the right to separate from the union and have control over their own, independent union. Calhoun associates this belief with the obvious advantages that the North enjoys, both monetary and political. This dominance of th
Read more

LAD #35: Home was a Horse Stall

Image
Reaction One: The story about Sox is heartbreaking because of how many Asian Americans were  treated as if they were not human, just because of their race. The prevalence of racial issues only increases during war times and Japanese internment camps are just one example. From being forced to live in an abandoned horse stall, to being stripped of the basic privacies that humans should have. When all of the Asian Americans were being moved to the camps, Sox noticed that only two white Americans came to say goodbye to them. All of the people Sox thought were her friends were too afraid to even be associated with Sox and her family. Reaction Two: Sox's story made me incredibly mad. Why are people not aware of this crime America committed in times of war. Our Internment Camps mirrored the Concentration Camps of the Germans during the same war. Both were images of racial discrimination that forced their inhabitants to reside in undesirable circumstances. Although the Japan
Read more

LAD #34: FDR's First Inaugural Address

Image
Summarize: Franklin D. Roosevelt opens his Inaugural Address as well as his record breaking four term presidency with the famous quote, "This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself ". FDR addresses the clear problem that succumbed the nation in the early 1930's, the Great Depression. He recognizes that the increase of taxes and decrease of money to pay them effects every American. However, Roosevelt does not lament a seemingly unsolvable problem, rather, he reflects on the hardships Americans have overcome in the past and how America is still the land of opportunities, which FDR had every intention of making use of. Roosevelt clearly dispenses the need of wealth and material goods. He instead attributes joy to physical success and achievement. He claims that action has not yet been taken and Roosevelt reassures the nation that he will not
Read more