The Supreme Court decided that Dred Scott, an enslaved African American, was not entitled to his freedom. The court ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. Additionally, the court declared that the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in certain territories, was unconstitutional. This decision effectively denied Congress the power to regulate slavery in the territories and fueled tensions between the North and the South leading up to the American Civil War.
