The Dred Scott Decision: Opinion of Chief Justice Taney (1863 edition)

What it is

This is a printed book from 1863, the second edition of the Taney opinion in the Dred Scott case. It was published in New York by Van Evrie, Horton & Co. The title page says it contains an introduction by Dr. J. H. Van Evrie and an appendix on the natural history of the prognathous race of mankind by Dr. S. A. Cartwright, of New Orleans. The copy shown here is a scanned PDF from the Internet Archive, so the text is a digital copy of the printed book.

Why it matters

The opinion was the Supreme Court ruling that James Buchanan had hoped would settle the question of slavery in the territories. This edition was printed after his term had ended and reached readers with commentary that defended slavery. The appendix, by a physician, presented racist ideas as science. Together these pages show how the decision was framed for readers of the Civil War era, and they show that the commentary was part of the publication, not part of the court's opinion.

Look closer

• What does the publisher's title page emphasize, and what do the introduction and appendix add to the court's words?
• How might a reader tell the court's reasoning apart from the publisher's commentary?
• Who would have bought a book like this, and why?