Dred Scott v Sanford, 60 US 393 (1857)

I. Introduction: This should be brief and to the point. It should state your thesis.
II. Background: This section will discuss the specific facts of the case as well as any political,
social, legal, or cultural contextual factors that you think will help to illuminate the case. It
should conclude by telling us how the case got to the Supreme Court and what the major legal
issues were.
III. Analysis of the Decision: This section will take us carefully, in a step-by-step analysis,
through the reasoning in the Courts opinion and the concurring and dissenting opinions. You
may ignore or only touch on the minor or technical issues; focus on the important ones.
IV. Significance: This section should discuss the important impacts of the decision, which may
be social, economic, political or legal. Your research should alert you to a range of important
consequences; this section should demonstrate your deep engagement with the scholarly
literature.
V. Conclusion: