--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We think the Dred Scott decision is…" description: "\"We think the Dred Scott decision is erroneous. We know the court that made it has often overruled its own decisions, and we shall do what we can to hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/abraham-lincoln-88_constitution_we-think-the-dred-scott-decision-is-erro_1605215.png" --- # We think the Dred Scott decision is erroneous. We know the… ![“We think the Dred Scott decision is erroneous. We know the court that made it has often overruled its own decisions, and we shall do what we can to have it overrule this.” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/abraham-lincoln-88_constitution_we-think-the-dred-scott-decision-is-erro_1605215.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/abraham-lincoln-88_constitution_we-think-the-dred-scott-decision-is-erro_1605215.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/abraham-lincoln-88_constitution_we-think-the-dred-scott-decision-is-erro_1605215.png) > “We think the Dred Scott decision is erroneous. We know the court that made it has often overruled its own decisions, and we shall do what we can to have it overrule this.” [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lincoln argues that past judicial errors can be corrected by future rulings, urging proactive legal reform. **In simple terms:** Past mistakes can be fixed by new decisions. Key Takeaway Advocate for correcting wrongful precedents. Themes justice law reform precedent activism Mood determined hopeful Type political historical When to use this quote - civil rights legislation - court challenges - constitutional amendments Key Concepts Legal theory constitutional change judicial review Questions to Reflect On - How can societies ensure courts learn from past errors? - What mechanisms best enable corrective rulings? A Different Perspective Legal change may face entrenched institutional resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Court Overruled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court-overruled-4944520/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision Erroneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-erroneous-6111174/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Dred Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dred-scott/) [Dred Scott Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dred-scott-decision-213520/) [Overruled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overruled-447110/) [Overruled Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overruled-decisions-6111173/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Scott Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scott-decision-1439686/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) ## Related quotes > [Why was the amendment, expressly declaring the right of the people to exclude slavery, voted down? 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"For that matter, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-haber/haven-t-you-heard-the-dread-scott-decision-has-been-overturned-not/) [Joyce Haber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-haber/) > [ In one point of view, we, the abolitionists and colored people, should meet \[the Dred Scott\] decision, unlooked for and monstrous as it appears,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-one-point-of-view-we-the-abolitionists-and-colored-people-should/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Hitler and Mussolini were indeed authoritarians, but it doesn’t follow that authoritarianism equals fascism or Nazism. 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It had always been that way, and I imagined it always would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/my-need-to-be-around-abby-abernathy-overruled-any-rational-thought-it/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [Everybody makes bad decisions. I am sure I have made my share of them over 40 years of service. Or I have made good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/everybody-makes-bad-decisions-i-am-sure-i-have-made-my-share-of-them/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Do not delegate an assignment and then attempt to manage it yourself - you will make an enemy of the overruled subordinate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wess-roberts/do-not-delegate-an-assignment-and-then-attempt-to-manage-it-yourself/) [Wess Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wess-roberts/) ## More by Abraham Lincoln > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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