The Dred Scott decision is widely cited as fueling what movement in the United States?

The Dred Scott decision is widely cited as fueling what movement in the United States?

• A. Abolitionist movement
• B. Women's suffrage movement
• C. Labor union movement
• D. Civil rights movement of the 1960s

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how a Supreme Court ruling can deepen opposition to slavery. The Dred Scott decision held that African Americans, enslaved or free, could not be citizens and that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in new territories. By endorsing the expansion of slavery and denying basic rights to Black people, it dramatically angered abolitionists and intensified anti-slavery activism. In response, abolitionist groups mobilized more, produced more anti-slavery writings, and organized efforts that helped push the movement forward in the years leading up to the Civil War. Other movements, like women's suffrage, labor rights, or the later Civil Rights Movement, arose from different issues, so this ruling is most closely associated with fueling abolitionism.

The key idea is how a Supreme Court ruling can deepen opposition to slavery. The Dred Scott decision held that African Americans, enslaved or free, could not be citizens and that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in new territories. By endorsing the expansion of slavery and denying basic rights to Black people, it dramatically angered abolitionists and intensified anti-slavery activism. In response, abolitionist groups mobilized more, produced more anti-slavery writings, and organized efforts that helped push the movement forward in the years leading up to the Civil War. Other movements, like women's suffrage, labor rights, or the later Civil Rights Movement, arose from different issues, so this ruling is most closely associated with fueling abolitionism.