Which of the following was stated as part of the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling?
• Only Congress could decide whether to allow slavery in the territories.
• Congress could not decide whether to allow slavery in the territories.
• Popular sovereignty was unconstitutional.
• Slavery was unconstitutional.
The following statement was part of the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling: Congress could not decide whether to allow slavery in the territories.
The correct statement that was part of the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling is: Congress could not decide whether to allow slavery in the territories.
The correct statement that was part of the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling is:
• Only Congress could decide whether to allow slavery in the territories.
To arrive at this answer, we need to understand the background of the Dred Scott case and the key issues it addressed. Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man who sued for his freedom on the grounds that he had lived in states and territories where slavery was prohibited. The case eventually reached the United States Supreme Court in 1857.
In the Court's ruling, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority opinion. He stated that Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in the territories. Taney argued that the Constitution protected the right to own property, including slaves, and that this right could not be taken away without due process of law. According to Taney, Congress's attempts to limit slavery in the territories through the Missouri Compromise and later acts were unconstitutional.
Therefore, the correct statement from the options provided is that "Only Congress could decide whether to allow slavery in the territories." This reflects the Court's decision that Congress had the authority to make decisions regarding slavery in the territories, rather than allowing popular sovereignty or declaring slavery as unconstitutional.