Read the passage from the opinion of the court in Dred
Scott v. Sandford, written by Justice Taney.
The question before us is, whether the class of persons
described in the plea in abatement compose a portion of
this people, and are constituent members of this
sovereignty? We think they are not, and that they are not
included, and were not intended to be included, under the
word "citizens" in the Constitution, and can therefore
claim none of the rights and privileges which that
instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the
United States. On the contrary, they were at that time
considered as a subordinate and inferior class of beings,
who had been subjugated by the dominant race, and,
whether emancipated or not, yet remained subject to
their authority, and had no rights or privileges but such
as those who held the power and the Government might
choose to grant them.
What is Taney's claim in this passage?
O that Black people were covered by the Constitution's
definition of citizen
O that emancipated Black people had rights guaranteed
by the government
O that Black people were not part of the group
considered citizens by the Constitution
O that Black people would have to get the government's
permission to be citizens



Answer :

In this passage from the opinion of the court in Dred Scott v. Sandford written by Justice Taney, Taney's claim is that Black people were not considered part of the group of citizens defined by the Constitution. He argues that Black people, whether enslaved or emancipated, were viewed as a subordinate and inferior class of beings who were not intended to be included under the term "citizens" in the Constitution. Therefore, Taney asserts that Black people could not claim any of the rights and privileges granted to citizens by the Constitution. So, the accurate claim in this passage is: O that Black people were not part of the group considered citizens by the Constitution