The Dred Scott decision, announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857, was a landmark ruling in which the Court held that Dred Scott, an enslaved African American man, was not entitled to his freedom even after living in free states for several years. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney delivered the majority opinion, which argued that African Americans could not be considered citizens under the U.S. Constitution and thus had no right to sue in federal court. Additionally, the ruling declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, asserting that Congress lacked the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, effectively opening all U.S. territories to the possibility of slavery.
The Dred Scott decision significantly escalated tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in America. By denying the legality of any restrictions on slavery, it emboldened slaveholders and infuriated abolitionists and northern states, who viewed it as a direct attack on their moral and legislative efforts to limit the spread of slavery. This ruling galvanized anti-slavery sentiment and contributed to the rise of the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery. As the nation became increasingly polarized, the Dred Scott decision became a critical flashpoint that highlighted the deepening divide between the North and South, ultimately setting the stage for the Civil War.