Final answer:
The Dred Scott v. Sandford case concluded that people of African descent could not be U.S. citizens and the federal government could not prohibit slavery in the territories, a decision that deepened the nation's divisions over slavery until it was overturned by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court case that articulated the legal status of slaves and the scope of federal authority over slavery in the territories was Dred Scott v. Sandford. In this landmark 1857 decision, the Court ruled that people of African descent could not be, and were not, citizens of the United States. The Court also declared that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the territories, effectively allowing slave owners to transport their slaves anywhere within the United States. This ruling nullified the Missouri Compromise, which was an earlier attempt to limit the spread of slavery into new territories.
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney issued the majority opinion, provocatively stating that Black people were not included in the framing of the Constitution and hence could not sue for their freedom or citizenship. The impact of this decision further polarized the nation, enraging many in the North and emboldening pro-slavery forces in the South. It had major implications for American politics and was a catalyst that eventually led to the Civil War.
The Dred Scott decision stood until it was effectively overturned by the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, which granted citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States," thus obliterating the legal framework established by the Dred Scott decision.