American Revolution: A Hypocrisy in The Making

The American Revolution was the result of conflict between the colonist and the British government. Prior to the revolution, the colonist had no representatives in Parliament, new tax laws, privacy violating search warrants, and other laws that led the colonist to feel that their rights were being violated.

The U.S. Bill of Rights

To avoid the abuses suffered under the British, the American people created a list of powers that would be denied to the U.S. federal government. Certain provisions of "due process" and "equal protection" would also apply to the states. However, the African American community has struggled in its quest for protection under the Constitution's Bill of Rights.

THE DRED SCOTT DECISION

There is nothing in the annals of American jurisprudence that has contributed to an assignment of inferiority to the African American community more than the Dred Scott decision.

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, a former slave owner, provided the decision in the case finding that: