Dred Scott Vs Sanford Case Analysis

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Multiple cases overtime have caused power to fluctuate between federal and state government. Dred Scott V. Sanford and McCulloch V. Maryland are two cases that the supreme court faced and ruled in favor of the federal government causing the power to shift towards the federal government. In Dred Scott V. Sanford, Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri for 10 years before going to Illinois which was a free state, and then going back to Missouri claiming to be a free man because he had lived in Illinois. Sanford, his master, claimed that anyone of African American descent or a descendent of a slave could be a civilian in the sense of Article III of the Constitution. The problem that the Supreme Court was having to solve was whether Dred Scott was a free man or a slave. The Supreme Court’s ruling was seven to two in Sanfords favor. Roger Brooke Taney was the one to explain the reasoning behind the ruling, what he had to say was that under Articles III and IV no one but a citizen of the United States could be a citizen of a state. He also said that only Congress can grant citizenship, then reached the conclusion that no one descended from an American slave has ever been a citizen because of Article III. Supreme court decided that the missouri …show more content…
Maryland Congress chartered The Second Bank of the US in 1816, then in 1818 Maryland attempted to impose taxes on the Bank. The problems brought forth in this case was if Congress had the authority to establish the bank, and if Maryland unconstitutionally interfere with congressional powers. There was a unanimous decision that Congress had the power to establish the bank even if wasn’t outlined in the constitution. They also decided that Maryland may not impose a tax on the bank, or any other federal instruments or congressional powers.This case let people know the extent of congress's power isn’t explicitly said in the constitution and showed that the State government can’t tax any federal