This document summarizes several important Supreme Court cases related to slavery and civil rights in the US: 1) Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) ruled African Americans could not be citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, further entrenching slavery and sparking tensions before the Civil War. 2) Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) established the "separate but equal" doctrine allowing racial segregation if facilities were equal, legitimizing Jim Crow laws for 58 years. 3) Miranda v. Arizona (1966) established Miranda rights requiring police inform suspects of their rights to remain silent and have an attorney present during interrogations to prevent self-incrimination from

1. Supreme Court in Real Life

2. Dred Scott v. Sandford
 Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia
 When Scott moved to Missouri (slave state), he was
bought by Dr. John Emerson

Moved to Illinois (free state), but moved back to Missouri
shortly before death
 Missouri Compromise stated slavery was abolished
above 36th parallel
 Scott was freed in Illinois but when moved to
Missouri, his status was questioned

3. Dred Scott v. Sandford
 Dr. Emerson died and all possessions went to wife,
Irene
 Scott asked widow if he could work to regain
freedom
 Scott wasn’t given freedom under Irene Emerson

Scott sued under doctrine “once free, always free”
 Irene Emerson left case to brother, John Sandford
 Claimed Scott couldn’t sue because he was not a citizen
 Case found its way to supreme court in 1857

4. Majority Opinion
 “We think they [people of African ancestry] are… not
included… under the word “citizens” in the
Constitution”-Chief Justice Roger Taney
 Believed that slaves were not free when entering a
“free state” because that would take away slave
owners’ 5th Amendment rights

Slaves were considered property
 Opinion made Missouri Compromise void

5. Dissenting Opinion
 Opinion was written and supported by Justices
Curtis and McLean
 “He [Scott] is averred to have had a negro ancestry,
but this does not show that he is not a citizen of
Missouri”-Justice McLean
 Believed Scott had right to be in court
 Also did not agree with the actions of majority to
make Missouri Compromise void

“It did not… forfeit property or take property…. It only
prohibited slavery”

6. Long Term Effects
 Justice Taney wanted to settle future disputes over
slavery, but instead acted as a catalyst to Civil War


Abolitionists were incredibly upset and southerners declared
them to be enemies of the Union
Southerners could saw law supported slavery
 Case is considered by some to be the worst decision
the Supreme Court has ever made
 Deemed African Americans as property instead of
people
 There is still prejudice in the US today

7. Plessy v. Ferguson
 Louisiana passed Separate Car Act in 1890
 All transportation had to offer separate accommodations for
whites and non whites
 Penalties included a $25 fine or up to 25 days in
county jail
 A group of all black citizens joined a railroad
company


Homer Plessy was 1/8 black and bought a first class ticket
Sat in the white railroad car and was arrested
 Plessy argued the Separate Car Act violated 13th and
14th Amendments

8. Majority Opinion
 “It [the 14th Amendment] could not have been
intended to abolish distinctions based upon color
or… enforce… a commingling of the two races”Justice Henry Billings Brown

Majority decided equality does not mean there cannot be
distinctions
 The majority of 7 to 2 justices ruled that social
prejudices could not be fixed by legislation
 Supreme Court approved the idea of “separate but
equal”

9. Dissenting Opinion
 “In the eye of the law, there is in this country no
superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens”-Justice
John Marshall Harlan

Both citizens and civil liberties should be blind to color
 “What can more certainly arouse hate that state
enactments which proceed on the ground that
colored citizens are so inferior and degraded that
they cannot be allowed to sit in public coaches
occupied by white citizens”

The majority opinion would only serve to stir up more anxiety
and hatred in the United States

10. Long Term Effects
 The decision in Plessy v. Ferguson set a tone for the
interactions between the two races for 58 years

Justice Marshall predicted correctly; tensions were increased
 Many said the “presence of segregation was the absence
of democracy”
 It is true accommodations in the United States were
separate, but they were rarely equal

Jim Crow laws were enacted following the case separated races in
almost all public places in the south and sometimes in the north
 The decision of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954
reversed the decision in 1896 to separate races

11. Miranda v. Arizona
 A woman in Phoenix was kidnapped and raped
 Identified Ernesto Miranda in a lineup
 Miranda confessed to crime in interrogation but was
not told of 5th amendment rights beforehand
 Convicted and sentenced to 20-30 years of prison
 Case went to Arizona Supreme Court, then Supreme
Court along with 3 other cases



Vignera v. New York
Westover v. United States
California v. Steward

12. Majority Opinion
 “The prosecution may not use statements… from
interrogation… unless it demonstrates the use of
procedure to secure the privilege against selfincrimination.” -Chief Justice Earl Warren
 Did not want defendants to self-incriminate due to
intimidation and pressure in interrogation

If suspect wants to remain silent, questioning must stop
 Justices decided circumstances where statements
were received did not meet constitutional standards

Ruled in favor of Miranda

13. Dissenting Opinion
 “I believe the decision of the Court represents poor
constitutional law and entails harmful consequences
for the country at large.” – Justice Harlan
 The four justices commented that the decision would
ultimately discourage confession
 Believed the decision would also prove as an obstacle
for future investigations

14. Long Term Effects
 The 5-4 decision to uphold these basic rights of a
suspect has completely changed police procedures
 The “Miranda Rights” is the formal warning all
officers must give suspects in accordance with the
decision in 1966




Right to remain silent
Right to an attorney
Right to state appointed attorneys
Anything said can be used in a court of law
 It is harder for defendants to claim intimidation or
unlawful interrogations