Question

... the third story of dred scott is about the politics of slavery and the coming of the civil war. the supreme court decision sparked enormous political reaction, particularly in the north. it destroyed any chance of agreement between the north and the south over slavery in the territories. it would be an exaggeration to say that the dred scott decision caused the civil war. but it certainly pushed the nation far closer to that war. the decision played a decisive role in the emergence of abraham lincoln as the republican party’s presidential candidate in 1860 and his election later that year. that in turn set the stage for secession and civil war.... source: paul finkelman, dred scott v. sandford sanford: a brief history with documents, bedford books, 1997 11. according to the author, the dred scott decision was a turning point in american politics because (1) the decision further divided the north and the south in the debate over slavery (2) the decision forced the north and the south to compromise on slavery (3) the decision changed the republican party’s stance on slavery (4) the decision encouraged americans to vote against lincoln in the election of 1860

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option using the text:

• Option (1): The text says the decision "destroyed any chance of an agreement between the North and the South over slavery in the territories" and "pushed the nation far closer to that war", showing it further divided North and South over slavery.
• Option (2): The text states it destroyed compromise chances, so this is wrong.
• Option (3): The text says the decision led to Lincoln (Republican candidate) emerging, not that it changed the party’s stance, so wrong.
• Option (4): The text says the decision led to Lincoln’s emergence and election, so this is wrong as it claims the opposite.

Answer:

(1) The decision further divided the North and the South in the debate over slavery