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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was involved in a court case involving his freedom claiming that he should be considered free because he resided in Illinois which was a free state. In the end, Dred Scott lost the case and was not considered a citizen. -
Contra Taney
Lincoln and his administration took the legal position that free blacks were American citizens. -
Civil rights act of 1866
Congress passed the Civil rights act of 1866 that would declare all people who were born in the U.S. were citizens of the U.S. no matter what race they were. -
The fourteenth amendment
Within this amendment was a limiting clause that did not grant birthright citizenship to members of Indian tribes.