An early Federalist, Justice Taney broke with the party to support Andrew Jackson and opposed the War of 1812. In return for his suppport, Andy appointed Mr. Brooke to Attorney General.
In that position, he was charged with aiding in the Bank of the U.S. struggle. Mr. Taney was Andy's instrument when the seventh President vetoed the act re-chartering the big bank. The future chief justice wrote the veto message.
Then when two individuals refused to withdraw federal funds from the bank, Mr. Jackson made Mr. Taney Secretary of Treasury - so that he could effect the withdrawal. Deep. And bold.
In any event, the U.S. Senate was greatly disturbed by this sequence of actions, and it refused to ratify Mr. Taney's nomination as associate justice of the Supreme Court.
But as luck would have it, or someone else, the next year there were changes in the Senate. That change precipitated Roger Taney's ascension to Chief Justice of the United States. Ironically enough, that change may have also indirectly precipitated the most devastating war in U.S. history.
Chief Justice Taney led the way for a unanimous court in the infamous Dred Scott v. Sanford case. He was a strong supporter of slavery, and boy did it show in his opinion for the High Court.
Just a few "highlights" from that course-shaping decision:
1. A free negro of the African race, whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves, is not a citizen within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States (breaking news).
2. When the Constitution was adopted, "they" were not regarded in any of the states as members of the community which constituted the state, and were not numbered among its "people or citizens."...
Consequently, the special rights and immunities guaranteed to citizens do not apply to them. And not being citizens within the meaning of the Constitution, they are not entitled to sue in that character in a court of the U.S. (true that).
Needless to say, slave Dred Scott lost that court battle, bigtime. And to add insult to injury, Mr. Chief Justice took it upon himself to share that Congress could not forbid slavery in the U.S. territories.
Ok now. The Republicans (back then, of course) were ticked-off and Abe Lincoln, as their leader and as president, found that he had himself a real-life adversary.
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