Final answer:
The Dred Scott case was a Supreme Court decision in 1857 that ruled against Dred Scott's claim for freedom and declared that Congress had no power to limit the spread of slavery. This decision deeply impacted the debate about slavery and intensified the sectional divide in the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Dred Scott case was a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1857 that had a significant impact on the debate about slavery. Dred Scott, an enslaved person, sued for his freedom after his owner brought him to free territories. The Supreme Court ruled that Scott remained enslaved and that Congress had no power to limit the expansion of slavery into the territories.
This decision infuriated Republicans and solidified their belief that the South's Slave Power extended even to the Supreme Court. It also complicated life for northern Democrats, who could no longer sell popular sovereignty as a concession to southerners. The decision further divided the nation over the issue of slavery and intensified the sectional strife.