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Who were Dred and Harriet Scott? In what state are they buried and why does their story impact the concept of U.S. Black citizenship to this day?

User Yakira
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Final answer:

Dred Scott and Harriet Scott were enslaved African Americans involved in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857. The Supreme Court ruled that Black people could not be citizens and that Congress had no authority to stop the spread of slavery. Their story impacts the concept of U.S. Black citizenship as it exemplifies the historical inequality and struggle for equal rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dred Scott and Harriet Scott were enslaved African Americans who became central figures in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857. Dred Scott sued for his freedom after his owner took him to live in free territories, claiming that his residence there made him free. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Black people could not be citizens of the United States and that Congress had no authority to stop the spread of slavery into the territories.

Dred Scott's case was significant because it further entrenched the idea of slave ownership and denied the rights of Black people. The court's ruling had lasting impacts on the concept of U.S. Black citizenship because it cemented the exclusion of Black people from citizenship and justified the expansion of slavery.

Dred and Harriet Scott are buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. Their story continues to remind us of the long history of racial inequality in the United States and the ongoing struggle for equal rights and citizenship for Black Americans.

User Nanoquack
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