One Decision Doesn't Make an Entire Legacy: A Defense of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
mikeholme.substack.com
Before I start here, I want to make something crystal clear: there will be no defense in this post of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). This is the least defensible part of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s (1777-1864) legacy, it is the worst decision in the history of the Supreme Court, and it was based in historical illiteracy. This is the primary reason the House a few years ago voted to remove his bust from the Capitol along with that of Confederates. However, I will defend his overall legacy on the court and by extension why his bust should have remained and that any further efforts to take honors from him should cease. I consider myself neither an adherent to Taney's racial views nor his political philosophy, and I do not think all removals of busts and memorials are wrong. After all, some figures of the past seem irrelevant to our society as it exists now, and new spots for memorials and busts shouldn't always have to be designated for every new figure we find worthy of such honors. Before I write my defense, I will outline the case against him.
One Decision Doesn't Make an Entire Legacy: A Defense of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
One Decision Doesn't Make an Entire Legacy: A…
One Decision Doesn't Make an Entire Legacy: A Defense of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
Before I start here, I want to make something crystal clear: there will be no defense in this post of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). This is the least defensible part of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s (1777-1864) legacy, it is the worst decision in the history of the Supreme Court, and it was based in historical illiteracy. This is the primary reason the House a few years ago voted to remove his bust from the Capitol along with that of Confederates. However, I will defend his overall legacy on the court and by extension why his bust should have remained and that any further efforts to take honors from him should cease. I consider myself neither an adherent to Taney's racial views nor his political philosophy, and I do not think all removals of busts and memorials are wrong. After all, some figures of the past seem irrelevant to our society as it exists now, and new spots for memorials and busts shouldn't always have to be designated for every new figure we find worthy of such honors. Before I write my defense, I will outline the case against him.