Question

analyzing a seminal us document
identifying a fallacy
yet the men who framed this declaration were great men-high
in literary acquirements-high in their sense of honor, and
incapable of asserting principles inconsistent with those on
which they were acting.
-dred scott v. sandford,
supreme court of the united states
how does taney use this appeal to emotion to support his argument?
the appeal praises the virtues of the writers of
the document taney uses as evidence.
the appeal creates doubt about the validity
soundness of the constitution in terms of
defining citizenship.
the appeal counters taneys claim that
peoples origins dictate their status in the
community.

Explanation:

The text from Taney praises the virtues (great men, high in literary acquirements, high in sense of honor) of the document's writers (those who framed the declaration). This is an appeal to emotion as it uses positive attributes of the writers (the people behind the document he's using as evidence) to potentially make the audience view the document (and by extension his argument that uses it) more favorably. The other options are incorrect:

• The second option about creating doubt about the Constitution's validity in defining citizenship isn't supported as the text is praising the writers, not criticizing the Constitution.
• The third option about countering Taney's claim is wrong because the text is praising the writers (which could be seen as supporting an argument that uses their work, not countering a claim).

Answer:

The appeal praises the virtues of the writers of the document Taney uses as evidence.