Mount Vernon in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Roger B. Taney Monument
Reconciling History
— Baltimore's Confederate Monuments —
In 1836, Roger Brooke Taney became Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and served in this position until his death in 1864. In 1857, he wrote the Dred Scott decision, which stated that African American—enslaved and free--- were property and could never be citizens of the United States.
In 1887, this monument sculpted by William Henry Rinehart was given to the City of Baltimore by businessman, art patron, and Confederate sympathizer William Walters. This monument is an exact replica of the 1872 Taney monument also commissioned by Walters which sits on the grounds of the State House in Annapolis. At the dedication in Annapolis, Severn Teakle Wallis stated that the figure was a “protest in living bronze” against the U.S. Congress, which in 1865 had withheld funds to create a bust of Taney. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts had justified the Congressional withholding of funds for the monument stating that the Dred Scott decision was a “terrible decision where a most unrighteous judgment was sustained by a falsification of history.” This monument helped to promote white supremacy in Baltimore.
In 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake appointed a Special Commission to Review Baltimore’s Public Confederate Monuments to provide recommendations based on informed decisions and citizen input on how to address Baltimore’s Confederate-related monuments. While the Taney Monument is not explicitly a Confederate monument, the Dred Scott decision advanced slavery in America and was closely tied to the Confederate cause.
This plaque serves to inform the public on the history of Baltimore’s Confederate monuments. For more information, please review the Special Commission to Review Baltimore’s Public Confederate Monuments Report to Mayor Rawlings-Blake located at www.chap.baltimorecity.gov.
Sign content developed by the Baltimore City Commission on Historical and Architectural Preservation Graphic design services provided by the Baltimore National Heritage Area.
Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Government & Politics • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1836.
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 39° 17.872′ N, 76° 36.941′ W. Marker was in Baltimore, Maryland. It was in Mount Vernon. Marker was on Charles Street. The marker is located on the north garden of Mount Vernon Place. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Baltimore MD 21202, United States of America.
We have been informed that this sign or monument is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Francis Scott Key (within shouting distance of this marker); Celebrating Culture: The Heart of the City / Contributing to Society: Baltimore's Best Address (within shouting distance of this marker); Washington Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place (within shouting distance of this marker); Contributing to Society: Baltimore's Best Address (within shouting distance of this marker); Asbury House (within shouting distance of this marker); Mount Vernon Cultural District (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
Also see . . .
1. Roger B. Taney Statue. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. (Submitted on March 1, 2017.)
2. Special Commission to Review Baltimore's Public Confederate Monuments. Commission PDF (Submitted on March 11, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
3. Roger B. Taney Monument. in Cindy Kelly's Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore: A Historical Guide to Public Art in the Monumental City, 2011, pg. 65-66. (Submitted on March 11, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 27, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 729 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 27, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 3. submitted on August 20, 2017, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 1, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on February 14, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.