[Sherman Logan]

The most important aspect of the Scott decision was that it ruled people of African descent, whether slave or free were not and never could become citizens of the United States.

That is very different from just viewing slaves as property. It was an attempt to embed racism into the Constitution itself, which had never mentioned the subject. Or for that matter, slavery itself. The Founders very carefully referred to the institution with euphemisms rather than pollute a document enshrining freedom with the word slave.

[misterwhite]

"It was an attempt to embed racism into the Constitution itself, which had never mentioned the subject."

More like the Constitution did not preclude it.

Taney ruled that freed slaves could be citizens of their state, but the states had no power to make them citizens of the United States. That took a constitutional amendment.