It was probably the worst and most consequential decision ever made by the U.S. Supreme Court. Item 141 is the 1857 publication of A Report of the Decision of the Supreme Court in the United States and the Opinions of the Judges Thereof, in the Case of Dred Scott... This decision essentially concluded that slaves, or just about any other black people, were less than human and thereby entitled to no rights. It amounted to pouring oil on the flames of anger riling the North. While the Civil War was likely already inevitable by this time, the decision only served to increase the confidence and demands of the slaveholders and their allies, encouraging them to demand more and compromise less. Ultimately, the terrible decision helped no one. $1,250.

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