Question

Which of the following sentences best describes the Northern reaction to the Dred Scott ruling?

Northerners were excited about the ruling because it meant there would be no expansion of slavery in the West.
Northerners were concerned about the ruling because they feared that the South would become too powerful and that Slavery was now approved by the Constitution.
Northerner's were concrned that they would be forced to accept slavery in all stated due to the decision.
Northerners were concerned because they were afraid they would have to free their enslaved people because of the ruling.

Answer 1

"Northerners were concerned about the ruling because they feared that the South would become too powerful and that slavery was now approved by the Constitution."

Explanation: The Dred Scott decision (1857) ruled that Black people were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories, which Northerners saw as a pro‑slavery, constitutional endorsement that threatened free‑soil interests and Southern political dominance.