An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens.

An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens.

• A. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• B. Consent of the Governed
• C. Articles of Confederation
• D. Mayflower Compact

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision of 1857, a Supreme Court ruling that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be citizens and therefore did not have standing to sue in federal courts. The Court also said Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in new territories, which meant laws limiting or regulating slavery in those areas were unconstitutional. This decision reinforced the idea that Black people were not political equals in the eyes of the law at that time and it intensified national tensions over slavery, helping to push the country toward the Civil War. Other options refer to things that aren’t Supreme Court cases about citizenship. Consent of the Governed is a political principle about where government authority comes from, not a court ruling. The Articles of Confederation is the first U.S. framework for government, not a court case. The Mayflower Compact is an early colonial agreement among settlers, not a modern legal decision.

The main idea here is the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision of 1857, a Supreme Court ruling that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be citizens and therefore did not have standing to sue in federal courts. The Court also said Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in new territories, which meant laws limiting or regulating slavery in those areas were unconstitutional. This decision reinforced the idea that Black people were not political equals in the eyes of the law at that time and it intensified national tensions over slavery, helping to push the country toward the Civil War.

Other options refer to things that aren’t Supreme Court cases about citizenship. Consent of the Governed is a political principle about where government authority comes from, not a court ruling. The Articles of Confederation is the first U.S. framework for government, not a court case. The Mayflower Compact is an early colonial agreement among settlers, not a modern legal decision.