Roger B. Taney Monument (Annapolis)
| Roger B. Taney Monument | |
|---|---|
 The statue of Chief Justice Taney in 2009, before the removal | |
| 38°59′11″N 76°30′03″W / 38.98631°N 76.50085°W | |
The Roger B. Taney Monument is a statue of Roger Brooke Taney (1777–1864), fifth Chief Justice of the United States, that formerly stood on the grounds of the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Mounting opposition to the monument, as a commemoration of the author of the Dred Scott decision supporting slavery and denying citizenship to African Americans, led to the statue's removal in 2017.
Description and history
Taney's memorial statue was installed in Annapolis, Maryland, on the east front / original side of the historic Maryland State House grounds surrounded by State Circle. The sculpture was created by William Henry Rinehart (1825-1874), who died only two years after completing the work. It was unveiled on December 10, 1872, eight years after Chief Justice Taney's death in 1864.[1][2] The sculpture, made of bronze on a granite stone pedestal,[3] was commissioned by the state legislature, the General Assembly of Maryland.[1]
Removal from State House grounds
Opposition mounted to the presence of the monument commemorating the author of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which upheld slavery and found that African Americans could not be citizens.[4] In August 2017, the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Michael E. Busch, a Democrat, and the Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, a Republican, each called for the statue's removal, after 142 years, from the State House grounds.[5][6] On August 16, 2017, a majority of the members of the Maryland State House Trust voted to move the statue from the State House grounds to storage.[4][7]
The statue was removed on August 18, 2017.[8] It was placed in the Maryland State Archives' Rolling Run storage facility.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b John Thomas Scharf (2003). History of Western Maryland: Being a History of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties from the Earliest Period to the Present Day, Including Biographical Sketches of Their Representative Men. Genealogical Publishing Com. pp. 821–. ISBN 978-0-8063-4565-9.
- ^ "Artist: William Henry Rinehart (1825-1874). Title: Roger Brooke Taney (1777-1864)". Maryland State Archives, State Art Collection. Retrieved August 14, 2025. Expands from link: Taney, Roger Brooke.
- ^ Moses Forster Sweetser (1892). King's Handbook of the United States. Moses King Corporation. pp. 331–.
- ^ a b Wood, Pamela (August 18, 2017). "Roger Taney statue removed from Maryland State House grounds". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Cox, Erin (August 14, 2017). "House Speaker Busch: Time to remove Taney statue from Maryland State House grounds". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^ Wood, Pamela (August 15, 2017). "Hogan calls for Taney statue at Maryland State House to be removed". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ Amara, Kate (August 17, 2017). "Panel votes to remove Taney statue from State House grounds".
- ^ "Taney statue moved from Maryland state house grounds overnight". The Washington Post.
- ^ Baker, Timothy D. (September 2018). "Maryland State Archives: Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2018: Annual Report of the State Archivist to the Governor and General Assembly" (PDF). Maryland State Archives. p. 2. Retrieved August 14, 2025.