Final answer:
The Dred Scott vs. Sandford case is cited as a cause of the increasing divide between the North and South, which contributed to the onset of the Civil War. Its ruling that African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress had no control over slavery in the territories intensified political strife and sectional tensions, ultimately leading to the secession of the Southern states.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Dred Scott vs. Sandford case, decided by the Supreme Court in 1857, can be cited as a cause of a deepening division between the North and South leading up to the Civil War. The Court declared that African Americans could not be citizens of the United States and that Congress had no authority to bar slavery in the territories. This ruling not only denied Dred Scott, a man born into slavery, his personal freedom after he had resided in free states, but also had larger implications. The decision invalidated the Missouri Compromise, which had limited the spread of slavery in certain territories, thus making the spread of slavery into the West seem inevitable. The aftermath saw heightened tensions between abolitionists and pro-slavery advocates, contributing to the eventual secession of Southern states.
The ruling caused a split in the Democratic Party, affecting politics significantly. Republicans and northerners saw this as evidence of a 'slave power conspiracy', further intensifying sectional strife, while southerners viewed it as protection against northern aggression. Moreover, the decision was met with outrage in the North, directly impeding efforts to contain slavery and maintain unity across the states.
The Panic of 1857, which affected the North economically, coupled with the heated events in Kansas over the adoption of the Lecompton Constitution, aimed at establishing it as a slave state, added to the already strained national situation. This heightened the polarization and pushed the country closer to civil conflict.