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Primary sourceDocument6 March 1857

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Roger B. Taney · 6 March 1857

The 1857 Supreme Court ruling denying citizenship to Black Americans, issued during the years Tubman was leading enslaved people to freedom.

This ruling, issued during Tubman's rescue years, denied citizenship to the Black Americans she was freeing from slavery.

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Handwritten cover sheet of the court record for Dred Scott v. Sandford. Top reads 'Missouri C.C.U.S.' with a case number, then 'Dred Scott, Plaintiff in Error, v. John F. A. Sandford', 'Filed 30th December 1854', 'Dismissed for want of jurisdiction', and 'March 6th 1857'. Scorched and darkened edges, with a blue pencil mark at lower left.
Judgment in Dred Scott v. Sandford, 6 March 1857. U.S. National Archives, Washington, DC.

About this source

What it is

This is the judgment record of Dred Scott v. Sandford, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on 6 March 1857. It arose from a lawsuit by Dred Scott and his wife Harriet Scott, who sued for their freedom. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority opinion. The original record is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

The Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and had no right to protection in federal courts, and that Congress could not ban slavery in federal territories. The decision inflamed the national debate over slavery and pushed the country closer to civil war. For Harriet Tubman, who was actively rescuing enslaved people from the South during these very years, the ruling was a direct statement by the highest court that people like those she freed had no legal standing as citizens.

Look closer

  • Why might a court record have scorched, darkened edges — what does that tell you about how documents survive?
  • Who gets to decide, in 1857, who counts as a citizen?
  • How might this ruling have affected the urgency of Tubman's rescue missions?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, John Brown, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and William Lloyd Garrison on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of a standing woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar, buttons down the bodice, and a tasseled key at her waist. Her hand rests on a draped chair; a hat and coat lie on a fringed stool, and a draped table stands at left against a plain backdrop with a column.Photograph

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Harriet Tubman

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Secondary source

Harriet, the Moses of Her People

Sarah Bradford · 1886

Sepia carte-de-visite portrait of a seated Black woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar and a light checked skirt, leaning her arm on a spindle chair. Handwritten signature reads Harriet Tubman. Red and cream border.Photograph

Primary source

Carte-de-visite Portrait of Harriet Tubman

Benjamin Powelson · c. 1868-1869

Scanned handwritten General Affidavit form, filled in by hand, with a title printed at top. The text describes a claim for services as nurse and cook in hospitals and as commander of scouts during the Civil War. Signatures of affiants appear at the bottom, including Harriet Tubman's name and her mark.Document

Primary source

General Affidavit of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman · 1898

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