Justices Curtis and McLean Dissent in Dred Scott

Justices Benjamin Curtis and John McLean issued powerful dissents in Dred Scott v. Sandford. Curtis demonstrated that Black men had been voters and citizens in several states at the Constitution's founding, directly contradicting Taney's historical claims. Curtis's dissent was so damaging that Taney attempted to revise his own opinion after the fact. Curtis resigned from the Court in protest shortly after the decision.