Landmark Supreme Court Cases: Dred Scott v. Sandford Timeline Activity

In this Landmark Supreme Court Cases: Dred Scott v. Sandford Timeline Activity, students place major historic events like the Louisiana Purchase, Missouri Compromise, Civil War, and 14th Amendment into a timeline revolving around the cause-and-effects of the Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court ruling. Understanding how each of these events connect to one another is crucial for students to grasp not only the impact of Dred Scott, but the road to the Civil War and the importance of the 14th Amendment. Perfect for middle or high school students studying landmark Supreme Court cases in Civics, American History, or Government!

This assignment works best following a lesson on Dred Scott. I have a Dred Scott v. Sandford Article & Review resource here. 

Aligned to the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics (and easily applicable to other states’ curriculum):

• SS.7.CG.3.11: Analyze the effects of landmark Supreme Court decisions on law, liberty and the interpretation of the Constitution. 

In this Landmark Supreme Court Cases: Dred Scott v. Sandford Timeline Activity, students will:

✯ Assemble a chronological timeline of six major events revolving around the Dred Scott v. Sandford landmark Supreme Court case. Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the historical context surrounding Dred Scott and its impact on the Civil War and eventual abolishment of slavery.

The historical events in the timeline include:

• The Louisiana Purchase
• The Missouri Compromise
• Dred Scott files a lawsuit for his freedom
• The Supreme Court rules on Dred Scott v. Sandford
• The Civil War
• The Fourteenth Amendment

✯ Make connections between each event in the timeline. Underneath each picture in this cut-and-paste activity, students will write 1-2 sentences explaining the impact of each event. The intention is to make students think about how each of these events led to the next in the timeline, and how interconnected American history really is. 

✯ A differentiated version of the resource is included, which provides all of the explanations already written out. Students can cut-and-paste the explanation under the appropriate event. They’re still making connections and building a chronological timeline, so the lesson is still challenging, but you might find this differentiation appropriate for students who aren’t at a level where they can write out these descriptions themselves.

✯ Whichever version of the lesson you choose, the end result is an attractive, hands-on activity perfect for a Civics or American History interactive notebook! Students will appreciate the connections between each of these major events in United States history and, hopefully, understand how Dred Scott v. Sandford sits in the middle of it all. 

This resource is presented as a non-editable, printable PDF. An answer key is included.

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