Supreme Court denies Black citizenship in Dred Scott

The Supreme Court rules in Dred Scott v. Sandford on March 6, 1857, that Black people, whether enslaved or free, are not citizens of the United States and cannot sue in federal court. Chief Justice Roger Taney also declares that Congress cannot ban slavery in federal territories.\n\nThe decision tries to settle the slavery conflict by protecting slaveholders’ property claims across the country. Instead, it deepens the national crisis and becomes one of the most condemned rulings in Supreme Court history.\n\nThe event is foundational to the racism timeline because the Court writes white supremacy into constitutional doctrine and denies Black people membership in the political community.