Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Roger Brooke Taney, 1777 - 1864
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, July 26, 2014
1. Roger Brooke Taney, 1777 - 1864 Marker
Although Taney considered slavery an evil, he believed its abolition had to be led by the states in which slavery existed. He freed his own slaves when he inherited them and provided pensions to those too old to work.
In the infamous Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, Taney wrote that persons of African descent did not possess rights of citizenship, because, he said, the framers had not included blacks, either free or enslaved, in the original community of people covered by the Constitution. The court also held that the 1820 Missouri Compromise which prohibited slavery in the western territories, was unconstitutional.
Aside from the Dred Scott decision, Taney is considered by many legal scholars and historians to have been a great magistrate and a distinguished chief justice.
Photo
Roger Brook Taney
Bendann Bros, 1850-1864
Maryland State Archives
Monument
Roger Brook Taney
William Henry
this page online
Bronze, 1872
Maryland State Archives
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1917.
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 38° 58.721′ N, 76° 29.441′ W. Marker was in Annapolis, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. It was on State Circle. Marker is on the East side of the State House. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Annapolis MD 21401, United States of America.
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in Central Maryland. It was also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, July 26, 2014
2. Roger Brooke Taney Statue
Other markers no longer nearby. Dred Scott, 1799 - 1858 (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Roger Brooke Taney (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Roger Brooke Taney Biography - biographybase.com. (Submitted on July 26, 2014, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
Library of Congress
3. Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, 1777-1864
Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 26, 2014, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 832 times since then and 34 times this year. Last updated on September 13, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 26, 2014, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 3. submitted on September 13, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
