Roger Taney

Dred Scott Decision

(1777-1864)

Roger Taney was a strong-willed and politically active man. H was always willing and open to new ideas and differing opinions on a variety of subjects, Taney found himself in the middle of a firestorm of political controversy. The year was 1824, the United States emerged victorious against the British forces in the war of 1812, and the country was gaining momentum is an exponential manner as one of the worlds newest military and political powers. The meteoric rise of the still youthful United Sates was creating strong leaders in both the republican and democratic parties.

Roger Taney fueled the forces of controversy when he openly and publicly switched his political affiliation, again, to support the candidacy of Andrew Jackson. After Jackson was elected president, Taney showed great resolve and political flexibility by accepting the prominent seat of U.S. Attorney General in the fall of 1831. An obvious reward this lofty position, Taney had a knack for being at the right place at the right time. The political muscle was growing stronger for Taney as he set his goals higher still.

In 1836, after defending President Jackson on a supremely skeptical banking gesture, Taney managed to win yet another vaulted seat of political power, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. For a man with a modest upbringing in the state of Maryland, Taney had now reached the ultimate for a small-town lawyer in rural Maryland, the boy from Calvert had "made real good".

From switching political parties as often as a woman changes shoes, the wise political leader used every option for advancement that he could get his hands on. To say that this leader, this political dynamo was intelligent would be grossly undervalued. Intelligence was the key to everything this man from Maryland did. Being elected to the highest legal positions in the entire United States judicial system was a feat few lawyers of his time could foresee yet alone accomplish.

The legal prowess of Taney would be tested in such landmark cases such as the Dred Scott Case and other highly publicized and ground-shaking testimonials. Taney passed away in 1864 in his home state of Maryland.

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