Question

13 mark for review which of the following principles was established by the dred scott decision? a congress could abolish slavery at will. b national legislation could not limit the spread of slavery in the territories. c the rights of all people are protected by the constitution. d slaves residing in a free state automatically became free. e through squatter sovereignty, a territory had the sole right to determine the status of slavery within its territorial limits.

Explanation:

The Dred Scott decision (1857) ruled that Congress lacked the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. It declared the Missouri Compromise (which had restricted slavery in certain territories) unconstitutional. Slaves were considered property, and under the Fifth Amendment, Congress could not deprive slave - owners of their property (slaves) in the territories.

• Option A: Congress could not abolish slavery at will as per the Dred Scott decision. The Court said Congress had no power to regulate slavery in the territories in a way that would abolish it there.
• Option C: The Dred Scott decision stated that African - Americans (slaves) were not considered citizens and thus not protected by the Constitution in the sense of having the full rights of citizens.
• Option D: The decision did not say that slaves in free states became free. Dred Scott had lived in a free state (Illinois) but the Court said his residence there did not make him free.
• Option E: Squatter sovereignty (the idea that the people in a territory should decide on slavery) was undermined by the Dred Scott decision. The Court said that Congress (and by extension the people in a territory through their territorial governments, which were creations of Congress) could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Answer:

B. National legislation could not limit the spread of slavery in the territories.