Lincoln on Dred Scott and Self-government
Posted in The Civil War & Lincoln by Ken Thomas
Abraham Lincoln delivered one of his
greatest speeches 154 years ago today, on the Dred Scott decision. The speech explains the meaning of the Declaration of Independence but also the place of the Supreme Court in a democratic, self-governing society. The principles of equality and self-government demand the elimination of slavery and the containment of the Supreme Court. Lincoln's speech clearly indicates that Justice Holmes, not Chief Justice Taney, would be the
worst justice the Court has ever known.
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I think Justice Hugo Black would come in neck and neck with Holmes. A member of the KKK, Black gave us the misused and misunderstood methapor "the separation of church and state" and completely destroyed the founders' meaning of the establishment clause.
True, but Holmes's social darwinism trumps Black's KKK connection and Taney's ignorance of the founding.