The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Part 7: Thematic Development — Cumulative exam
Question 14 • TX-English II B
Read the passage from the opinion of the court in Dred Scott v. Sandford, written by Justice Taney.Upon the whole, therefore, it is the judgment of this court, that it appears by the record before us that the plaintiff in error is not a citizen of Missouri, in the sense in which that word is used in the Constitution; and that the Circuit Court of the United States, for that reason, had no jurisdiction in the case, and could give no judgment in it. Its judgment for the defendant must, consequentl
Answer
C
Citizens of Missouri cannot sue in a court of the United States.
D
Dred Scott cannot sue in court because he is not a citizen.
S
Sanford should not have won the previous case in circuit court.
T
The Constitution’s definition of citizenship does not include Missouri.
Explanation
Taney says Dred Scott was not a citizen of Missouri in the constitutional sense, so the federal circuit court had no jurisdiction to hear his case. Therefore, the passage’s conclusion is that Scott could not sue in that court because he was not considered a citizen. The ruling is not that Missouri citizens generally cannot sue in federal court.
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