Question

Read the passage from the opinion of the court in Dred

Scott v. Sandford, written by Justice Taney.
The question before us is, whether the class of persons
described in the plea in abatement compose a portion of
this people, and are constituent members of this
sovereignty? We think they are not, and that they are not
included, and were not intended to be included, under the
word "citizens" in the Constitution, and can therefore
claim none of the rights and privileges which that
instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the
United States. On the contrary, they were at that time
considered as a subordinate and inferior class of beings,
who had been subjugated by the dominant race, and,
whether emancipated or not, yet remained subject to
their authority, and had no rights or privileges but such
as those who held the power and the Government might
choose to grant them.
Which statement best serves as a counterclaim to the
claim in this passage?
O Taney fails to provide any actual evidence for his
statements that Black people were universally
considered inferior.
O Taney cannot use states' rights to claim that the
plaintiff is not a citizen, because citizenship is federal.
O Taney's argument that emancipated people were still
controlled by White people is false because they were
free.
O Taney's argument that Blacks were not citizens is
false because their ancestors were forced to come
here.

Answer 1

Justice Taney's claim that black people were not citizens and inferior is countered by the lack of evidence, the freedom of emancipated people, and the fact that ancestry does not determine citizenship.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, Justice Taney argued that black people were not included under the word "citizens" in the Constitution and therefore did not have the rights and privileges provided for citizens. A counterclaim to this argument could be that Taney failed to provide any actual evidence for his statements that black people were universally considered inferior. Without concrete evidence, his claim of black inferiority lacks credibility.

Furthermore, it is important to note that Taney's argument about emancipated people still being controlled by white people is false because once emancipated, individuals were legally free and no longer subject to the authority of their former owners. Finally, Taney's argument that black people were not citizens because their ancestors were forced to come to the United States is also false, as citizenship is not determined by an individual's ancestry but by their legal status as a member of a state or nation.

Learn more about Dred Scott v. Sandford