Why did the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision anger Northerners?

Question

1. It made slavery legal in the territories.
2. It sought to continue the series of compromises on slavery.
3. It allowed for expansion of slavery into the North.
4. It created popular sovereignty as the rule for all territories.

Answer 1

The primary reason the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision angered Northerners was:

1. It made slavery legal in the territories.

The Supreme Court's ruling stated that the federal government had no authority to regulate slavery in the territories, effectively allowing slaveowners to take their enslaved people into those areas. This undermined the Missouri Compromise and increased fears about the spread of slavery, leading to significant outrage among many Northerners who opposed the expansion of slavery. The decision fueled tensions between the North and South and contributed to the growing divide that would eventually lead to the Civil War.