mar 6, 1857 - Dredd Scott v. Sanford

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Dred Scott v. Sandford, decided in 1857, was a landmark Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, asserting that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, significantly heightening tensions leading up to the Civil War.