How did the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott V Stanford increased sectionalism
The Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford, handed down in 1857, exacerbated sectional tensions between the North and South by establishing that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not considered citizens and therefore had no standing to bring a lawsuit in federal court. Additionally, the ruling declared that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, effectively invalidating the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
This decision was met with outrage in the North, where many saw it as a betrayal of fundamental principles of equality and justice. It also emboldened pro-slavery forces in the South, who interpreted it as a validation of their right to expand slavery into new territories. The ruling further polarized the country along sectional lines and fueled the growing tensions that ultimately led to the Civil War.