Question

yet the men who framed this declaration were great men—high in literary acquirements—high in their sense of honor, and incapable of asserting principles inconsistent with those on which they were acting. they perfectly understood the meaning of the language they used, and how it would be understood by others, and they knew that it would not in any part of the civilized world be supposed to embrace the negro race, which, by common consent, had been excluded from civilized governments and the family of nations, and doomed to slavery.—dred scott v. sandford, supreme court of the united states what is the best summary of taney’s opinion? the framers who crafted the constitution were the most honorable men for the job. the men who wrote the constitution understood that enslaved persons would not be citizens. the men who wrote the constitution had a great understanding of the language they used. the framers who crafted the constitution all believed that african americans should be enslaved.

Explanation:

To determine the best summary, analyze each option:

• Option 1: Focuses on the honor of framers, but the passage emphasizes their understanding of language and exclusion of enslaved persons, not just honor. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The passage states framers understood the language, knew the Constitution wouldn't embrace the negro race (enslaved persons) as citizens. This matches.
• Option 3: Only mentions language understanding, missing the key point about enslaved persons not being citizens. Incomplete. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The passage says they knew enslaved persons were excluded, not that they believed they should be enslaved. Misinterprets intent. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. The men who wrote the Constitution understood that enslaved persons would not be citizens.