Claim: Newt Gingrich wrongly claimed the Dred Scott decision "ruled that slavery extended to the whole country." It did not. The ruling stated that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in new territories, but it stopped short of applying the ruling to all states. Gingrich also claimed that President Lincoln "explicitly instructed his administration to not enforce Dred Scott." But the research historian at the Lincoln presidential library knows of no such directive or any reason to issue one.
Fact-check: A Historian's Perspective on Gingrich & Lincoln - FactCheck.org
Verdict: newt gingrich wrongly claimed the dred scott decision "ruled that slavery extended to the whole country." it did not. the ruling stated that congress had no authority to ban slavery in new territories, but it stopped short of applying the ruling to all states. gingrich also claimed that president lincoln "explicitly instructed his administration to not enforce dred scott." but the research historian at the lincoln presidential library knows of no such directive or any reason to issue one.
Organisation: FactCheck.org
Author: Eugene Kiely
Date published: 2011-12-20T21:06:34