Which U.S. Supreme Court decision held that a black slave could not sue for his freedom?

• A. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• B. Marbury v. Madison
• C. Brown v. Board of Education
• D. Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer: (A)

This item tests understanding of the legal status and standing of enslaved people in U.S. constitutional law. In the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme Court held that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be citizens of the United States and therefore had no right to sue in federal courts. The ruling treated enslaved people as property, not as persons with legal standing, so Scott could not bring a freedom claim in federal court. The decision also asserted broad federal power to regulate slavery in new territories, which intensified national tensions.

The other cases involve different issues: Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review and does not address slavery or standing to sue; Brown v. Board of Education concerns racial segregation in public schools and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment; Plessy v. Ferguson upholds segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal." They don't address whether a black slave could sue for freedom, which is why Dred Scott v. Sandford is the match for this question.