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RACE IN POLITICS

Why Some Want to Use Dred Scott to Remove Black Candidate From Ballot

They see restrictive citizenship as politically advantageous

Dr. Allison Wiltz

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Woman in blue blazer holding white paper | Photo by Anna Shvets via Pexels

If you assumed birtherism and attacks on Black citizenship were a flash in the pan for conservatives, think again. An official resolution from the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) recently argued that Kamala Harris and other candidates “whose parents were not American citizens at the time of their birth” are not qualified to serve as president. Shockingly, their legal arguments cite the infamous Dred Scott v. Sanford case to justify the exclusion of a Black candidate. For those unfamiliar with the case, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, sued for their freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court in the spring of 1846. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court halted their efforts. Since “his ancestors were imported from Africa and sold as slaves, he is not a citizen of the State of Missouri,” and as such, “not entitled to sue,” justices argued. Their decision extended to “any free Negro of the African race, whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves.” While some enslaved people successfully sued for their freedom, such as Elizabeth Key Grinstead in 1656 and Elizabeth Freeman in 1781, the Dred Scott v. Sandford case was a brutal legal attack on the…

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Dr. Allison Wiltz
Dr. Allison Wiltz

Written by Dr. Allison Wiltz

Black womanist scholar with a PhD from New Orleans, LA with bylines in Oprah Daily, Momentum, ZORA, Cultured. #WEOC Founder

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