In 1857, a Supreme Court decision had the attention of the nation. A slave named Dred Scott had traveled to Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory with his slaveholder. Since slavery was illegal there, once they returned Scott argued that he was now a free person because of his past residence there. The Court ruled that slaves were property according to the Constitution, and that Congress could not prevent slaveholders from taking their slaves where they wanted to.
Change came after the Civil War. The North’s victory paved the way for the Thirteenth Amendment. “The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.” The Thirteenth Amendment was passed by …show more content…
States still had the power to determine who was or was not a citizen. Most states, in both the North and South, still denied citizenship to African Americans. The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted in 1868 and ensured citizenship for African Americans. It took the power of granting citizenship away from the states. The amendment did not ensure equal treatment. The Supreme Court ruled that State governments could not treat African Americans unfairly, but this did not prevent citizens and employers from discriminating against