Which Supreme Court case ruled that slaves were not citizens and could not sue in federal courts, and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in federal territories?

• A. Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
• B. Compromise of 1850
• C. Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
• D. Reconstruction

Answer: (A)

Citizenship status and federal power over slavery in new territories are being tested here. Dred Scott v. Sanford established that African Americans could not be citizens under the Constitution, so they had no right to sue in federal courts. It also held that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories because slaves were considered property and the Constitution protected property rights; as a result, slavery could exist in all federal territories, effectively striking down restrictions like the Missouri Compromise. This ruling amplified sectional tensions and helped push the nation toward the Civil War. The other items are not Supreme Court rulings addressing citizenship or Congress’s power to regulate slavery in territories: the Compromise of 1850 was legislation, the Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order, and Reconstruction refers to the postwar era.