Question 20 • (AG Q3) American History 8: 25-26 (AHostetler)
Read the excerpt below from the Supreme Court ruling in the Scott v. Sandford.[T]he legislation and histories of the times, and the language used in the Declaration of Independence, show, that neither the class of persons who had been imported as slaves, nor their descendants, whether they had become free or not, were then acknowledged as a part of the people.The main subject of the excerpt is
Answer
A
the lack of citizenship for enslaved people.
B
the practice of importing enslaved people from Africa.
C
the practice of relocating from a slave state to a free state.
D
the right of an owner to retain his or her property.
Explanation
The excerpt says that people who had been enslaved and their descendants were not acknowledged as part of “the people” when the Declaration of Independence was written. In this context, the ruling is discussing whether they were recognized as citizens. Therefore, the main subject is the lack of citizenship for enslaved people, not the slave trade, migration, or property rights.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.