Roger B. Taney
Roger B. Taney
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Roger Brooke Taney was born on July 17, 1777, in Calvert County, Maryland. He is commonly known by his initials "R.B." or referred to as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States.
Birth and Death Dates
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Birth Date: July 17, 1777
Death Date: October 12, 1864
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Taney was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate before being appointed to the Supreme Court.
Early Life and Background
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Born into a family of modest means, Taney's early life was marked by his passion for education. He studied law at the College of St. Mary's in Baltimore, where he later became a professor of law himself. His involvement in politics began when he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1823 to 1825 and again from 1831 to 1833.
Major Accomplishments
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Taney's most significant achievement was his appointment as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, which he held from 1836 until his death in 1864. During this period, he delivered several landmark opinions that continue to shape American jurisprudence today.
Notable Works or Actions
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One of Taney's most notable decisions was in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), where he ruled that African Americans were not entitled to citizenship and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in new territories. This decision is widely regarded as one of the darkest moments in American history.
Impact and Legacy
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Taney's legacy has been the subject of much debate, particularly regarding his role in perpetuating the institution of slavery and undermining civil liberties through his decisions on the bench. Despite this, he remains an important figure in American legal history.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Today, Taney is widely remembered for his significant contributions to American jurisprudence, as well as for the controversy surrounding his role in defending slavery and limiting civil liberties. His quotes continue to be referenced by scholars and historians seeking to understand the complexities of America's past.
In conclusion, Roger B. Taney was a complex figure who left an indelible mark on American history through his work as Chief Justice and his lasting impact on the nation's jurisprudence.
Quotes by Roger B. Taney
In England, the sovereignty resides exclusively in the person or individual who is king. All Englishmen are his subjects. And the highest peer in the realm... has no share in the sovereignty.
In large commercial cities, the money power is, I fear irresistible. It is not by open corruption that it always, or even most generally, operates.
It will be admitted on all hands, that with the exception of the powers surrendered by the Constitution of the United States, the people of the several States are absolutely and unconditionally sovereign within their respective territories.
A sovereignty is always presumed to act upon principles of justice, and if, from mistake or oversight, it does injury to a nation or an individual, it is always supposed to be ready and willing to repair it.
Thank God that at least in one place, all men are equal: in the church of God. I do not consider it any degradation to kneel side by side with a Negro in the house of our Heavenly Father.
Every intelligent person whose life has been passed in a slaveholding State, and who has carefully observed the character and capacity of the African race, will see that a general and sudden emancipation would be absolute ruin to the Negroes, as well as to the white population.
Every state has an undoubted right to determine the status, or domestic and social condition, of the persons domiciled within its territory except insofar as the powers of the states in this respect are restrained, or duties and obligations imposed upon them, by the Constitution of the United States.
It is an established principle of jurisprudence in all civilized nations that the sovereign cannot be sued in its own courts, or in any other, without its consent and permission; but it may, if it thinks proper, waive this privilege, and permit itself to be made a defendant in a suit by individuals, or by another State.
What Dred Scott's master might lawfully do with Dred Scott, in the free state of Illinois, every other master may lawfully do with any other one, or 1,000 slaves, in Illinois, or in any other free state.
Unquestionably, it is the duty of every master to watch over the religious and moral culture of his slaves, and to give them every comfort and privilege that is not incompatible with the continued existence of the relations between them.