What major crisis was caused by the Dred Scott decision?

The Dred Scott decision, delivered by the Supreme Court in 1857, had significant implications for the national conversation surrounding slavery. This ruling concluded that African Americans, regardless of whether they were free or enslaved, could not be considered citizens and therefore had no legal standing to sue in federal court. Additionally, the Court's assertion that Congress had no authority to regulate slavery in the territories further inflamed the sectional tensions between the North and South.

As a result, the decision intensified the already existing conflicts over slavery and heightened the polarization in American society. It galvanized anti-slavery sentiment in the North while providing a sense of validation to slaveholders in the South. The reaction to the Dred Scott decision ultimately contributed to the emergence of the Republican Party and the acceleration of the events leading up to the Civil War.