In the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case Chief Justice Roger B Taney sided with Sanford. Taney stated that the court concluded that because Scott was a slave whose parents had been born in another country, he cannot be recognized as a citizen and therefore cannot legally receive any American liberties as written in the Constitution. He went on to add that he believed that Scott should be recognized as a lesser person, or a piece of property. As a result, Scott can neither receive protection through the American Constitution nor receive the liberties of a common white man, confirming the fact that Scott has no right to fight for his rights in the judicial system. This court decision contradicts the Missouri Compromise because Scott had lived in slave free Illinois, but he can still be recognized as property. As a result of this decision Scott once again became a slave and the precedent Taney further put the north and the south against each other, adding to the tension and ultimately leading to the Civil War.
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