Dred Scott v. Sandford, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 6, 1857, declared that Black people, whether free or enslaved, could not be American citizens and were thus constitutionally unable to sue for citizenship in the federal courts. The Dred Scott decision thus increased tensions and pushed the country closer toward the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861–65). The decision also brought about the destruction of the reputation of Chief Justice Taney, who is remembered now almost solely for the blatantly proslavery decision he wrote and for his demeaning comments about African Americans.
