Which of the following statements was a significant outcome of the Dred Scott decision?

The Dred Scott decision, delivered by the Supreme Court in 1857, concluded that enslaved individuals were considered property and not citizens, affirming the status of slavery as a legal property right. This ruling effectively stated that enslaved people could not sue for their freedom because they did not have the rights of citizenship.

This outcome was significant because it reinforced the institution of slavery and denied African Americans legal status as citizens, further entrenching racial inequalities in the United States. The court considered that the rights to property extended to enslavers, thereby validating and legitimizing slavery as a constitutionally protected right. In doing so, the decision intensified national divisions over slavery, eventually contributing to the tensions leading up to the Civil War.