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Contingency:  Understanding individual choice and decision-making given historical context and constraints.

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The presidential oath of office was administered to Lincoln by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney

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Use the historical thinking skill of contingency to answer this EQ in a quick write:  How did Lincoln and Taney reach different conclusions about the meaning of the Declaration of Independence?

Post your quick write (250 words max) to this padlet.

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Chief Justice Roger B. Taney's Decision in the Dred Scott Case

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Chief Justice Roger B. Taney's Decision in the Dred Scott Case

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Read this excerpt from Chief Justice Taney’s decision in the Dred Scott Case: "…The question is simply this: Can a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves, become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all the rights, and privileges, and immunities, guarantied by that instrument to the citizen? One of which rights is the privilege of suing in a court of the United States in the cases specified in the Constitution… The language of the Declaration of Independence is equally conclusive: It begins by declaring that, "when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect for the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." It then proceeds to say: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among them is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." The general words above quoted would seem to embrace the whole human family, and if they were used in a similar instrument at this day would be so understood. But it is too clear for dispute, that the enslaved African race were not intended to be included, and formed no part of the people who framed and adopted this declaration; for if the language, as understood in that day, would embrace them, the conduct of the distinguished men who framed the Declaration of Independence would have been utterly and flagrantly inconsistent with the principles they asserted; and instead of the sympathy of mankind, to which they so confidently appeared, they would have deserved and received universal rebuke and reprobation. Yet the men who framed this declaration were great men -- high in literary acquirements -- high in their sense of honor, and incapable of asserting principles inconsistent with those on which they were acting. They perfectly understood the meaning of the language they used, and how it would be understood by others; and they knew that it would not in any part of the civilized world be supposed to embrace the negro race, which, by common consent, had been excluded from civilized Governments and the family of nations, and doomed to slavery. They spoke and acted according to the then established doctrines and principles, and in the ordinary language of the day, no one misunderstood them. The unhappy black race were separated from the white by indelible marks, and laws long before established, and were never thought of or spoken of except as property, and when the claims of the owner or the profit of the trader were supposed to need protection. This state of public opinion had undergone no change when the Constitution was adopted, as is equally evident from its provisions and language."

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President Elect Abraham Lincoln's speech at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1861

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President Elect Abraham Lincoln's speech at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1861

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I am filled with deep emotion at finding myself standing here, in this place, where were collected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the devotion to principle, from which sprang the institutions under which we live. You have kindly suggested to me that in my hands is the task of restoring peace to the present distracted condition of the country. I can say in return, Sir, that all the political sentiments I entertain have been drawn, so far as I have been able to draw them, from the sentiments which originated and were given to the world from this hall. I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence. I have often pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled here, and framed and adopted that Declaration of Independence. I have pondered over the toils that were endured by the officers and soldiers of the army who achieved that Independence. I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. This is the sentiment embodied in that Declaration of Independence. Now, my friends, can this country be saved upon that basis? If it can, I will consider myself one of the happiest men in the world if I can help to save it. If it can't be saved upon that principle, it will be truly awful. But, if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle---I was about to say I would rather be assassinated on this spot than to surrender it. Now, in my view of the present aspect of affairs, there is no need of bloodshed and war. There is no necessity for it. I am not in favor of such a course, and I may say in advance, there will be no blood shed unless it be forced upon the Government. The Government will not use force unless force is used against it. My friends, this is a wholly unprepared speech. I did not expect to be called upon to say a word when I came here---I supposed I was merely to do something towards raising a flag. I may, therefore, have said something indiscreet, but I have said nothing but what I am willing to live by, and, in the pleasure of Almighty God, die by.

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Abraham Lincoln and Justice Taney reached very different conclusions about the meaning of the Declaration of Independence because of the different historical contexts and beliefs that shaped their thinking. This shows contingency, since their ideas were modeled by their experiences, pressures and choices at that time. Lincoln believed that the phrase “all men are created equal” was meant to apply to everyone, even if that idea wasn’t socially accepted during that period. I think he saw the Declaration as a goal for the world to work toward. Living during a time when slavery was being debated more and more, Lincoln chose to interpret the document in a way that supported equality and the eventual end of the system. Unlike Taney, Lincoln took evidence that multiple authors of the Declaration didn’t own slaves, adding that Lincoln’s perspective on the subject was drawn from characteristics of the writers. On the other hand, Taney had an extremely different view. In the Dred Scott case, he argued that Black Americans were not included in the Declaration. He used context that surrounded the time period when it was written. In that era, African Americans were not considered citizens and were not meant to have the same rights. On top of that, Thomas Jefferson was a slaveholder, furthering Taney’s stance that the Black people were not an important part of society and only used as property. Overall, Lincoln and Taney reached different conclusions because they made contrasting choices about how to interpret the same words.

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Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney both arrived at different interpretations of the Declaration of Independence because of their separate contingencies. Lincoln saw the Declaration of Independence as the model for the perfect world that he wanted to achieve as president. During Lincoln’s speech, he stated that the Declaration was the sentiment “which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time.” Abraham Lincoln saw how the citizens of the US were treating other races and wished to put an end to it. He believed that the founding fathers set our country up as a sanctuary of liberty, a land for people of all races to come and take refuge. On the contrary, Taney viewed the Declaration as the core principle that allowed slavery to continue. At the time, slavery was very much a present factor in the world of politics and justice, making its influence almost omnipresent. Taney stated that the phrase “that among them is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights.” To Taney, the founding fathers wrote this document with the exclusion of African Americans in mind. Logically speaking, Taney suspected that the fathers knew exactly how the Declaration would be interpreted, a civilized country that excluded the African race. Overall Lincoln and Taney reached different conclusions based on their contrasting views on current society, which influenced the way each person interpreted the same document.

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Taney and Lincoln reached different conclusions about the meaning of the declaration by different ways of analysis. Lincoln took the declaration at face value, finding the wording of the declaration to be the absolute meaning. Taney however, tried to analyze what the founding father meant when writing it, and used that to help his argument. Lincoln believed the statement, “all men are created equal”, meant just that. He believed everyone was equal, no matter their race. Additionally, Lincoln noted that the declaration gave “that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world.” It would not be possible for African Americans, who were segregated and unfairly treated based on race, to experience that liberty. Therefore, Lincoln argued, the writers of the declaration must have believed that all men were equal. In contrast to Lincoln, Taney, instead of analyzing the words and logic of the declaration, Taney looked at what the authors must have meant when writing it. “[The authors] perfectly understood the meaning of the language they used, and how it would be understood by others; and they knew that it would not in any part of the civilized world be supposed to embrace the negro race, which, by common consent, had been excluded from civilized Governments.” Taney believed, since the authors of the declaration owned slaves and believed the blacks were lesser than them, they obviously meant only whites when they asserted “all men are created equal.”

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Both Lincoln and Taney’s conclusions about the Declaration of Independence were shaped by past experiences, their own beliefs, and societal norms. Abraham Lincoln used phrases in the Declaration of Independence such as, “all men are created equal,” to show how the founders had intended for everyone, including African Americans, to be equal. Even though many of the Founders owned slaves, Lincoln believed they made the the Declaration of Independence as a structure for America to move towards. Lincoln also asserted that the Founders did not mean all men were equal in all respects, such as intellect or size, but that they were equal in the fact that they had “certain inalienable rights”. Taney’s interpretation of the Declaration was quite different, instead, he believed that the founders had wanted to exclude African Americans from this, because in his mind, “the enslaved African race were not intended to be included, and formed no part of the people who framed and adopted this declaration,”. Societal pressures most certainly influenced his decision. Taney was born into a wealthy slave owning family. He was aware that siding with abolitionists would most definitely have lost him a lot of popularity amongst southerners. Taney also stated that since the founders held slaves while writing the Declaration, they couldn’t have meant to include them without being, “hypocrites of the worst stripe”.

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While both Abraham Lincoln and Roger Taney interpreted the meaning of the Declaration of Independence and slavery, they reached radically different conclusions. I think this is a result of the historical context they drew from. In the line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal,” Lincoln interprets this generally. He believes this is stating that all men, no matter the race, are created equal by God and share the same “unalienable rights”. “The Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but I hope, to the world,” he stated, demonstrating the freedom he wants for all people. However, Justice Taney disagreed, believing that the idea that “all men are created equal” in the declaration referred only to white men. He thought that the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence would have never meant to include the “whole human family” and were too “high in their sense of honor” to include African Americans in the declaration. Additionally, Taney saw the context of the situation and how the authors of the Declaration of Independence were also slaveowners. He believed they would have never contradicted themselves as slaveholders who wanted to end slavery. In general, the two men reached different conclusions as a result of the way they interpreted the context of the Declaration of Independence.

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The different ways that the Declaration of Independence were interpreted was based on their personal beliefs. Taney at the time believed that slavery was morally right, and that the Declaration of Independence was not made with the darker skinned Americans in mind. So therefore they should not be getting the same rights as the whites in America. He also believed that since a few of the people of power who were there during the signing, owned slaves. Because of this fact, Taney concluded that they approved of slavery, and inequality. In contrast, Lincoln believed that slavery was immorally wrong. He argued that in the Declaration of Independence, it says that “all men were created equal” showing that even people of darker skin are equal to everyone else. The views of both Taney and Lincoln are different, Taney views that the Declaration of Independence is not including the slaves, and that America is at a good place. While Lincoln believes that the Declaration can be worked towards, and expanded.

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How did Lincoln and Taney reach different conclusions about the meaning of the Declaration of Independence?

Both Lincoln and Taney reached different conclusions about the Declaration of Independence because of different perspectives and viewpoints. Lincoln’s idea of the Declaration of Independence was including everyone, no matter your skin color. He declared that “It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time.” Lincoln thought that the declaration was something that everyone could adopt and form their own freedoms and government around. He also takes on the idea of the Bible, where you should treat everyone equally. Lincoln argued for the perspective of all Americans, including African Americans. Taney opposed this idea, stating that the Declaration was only meant for the white people of America. “But it is too clear for dispute, that the enslaved African race were not intended to be included, and formed no part of the people who framed and adopted this declaration; for if the language, as understood in that day, would embrace them, the conduct of the distinguished men who framed the Declaration of Independence would have been utterly and flagrantly inconsistent with the principles they asserted;” Taney takes the perspective of the author of the Declaration. He is trying to show that the document only applies to the white inhabitants, completely disregarding the millions of other people on this land.

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Taney and Lincoln reached two different conclusions about the Declaration of Independence due to their separate slaveholding beliefs, and their different methods of interpretations. Abraham Lincoln simply took the Declaration of Independence’s wording as its absolute meaning, and as the absolute truth. For example Abraham Lincoln states, that the “…sentiment in the Declaration of Independence gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men.” He specifically bases this off of a line in the Declaration of Independence that states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” On the other hand, Justice Taney tried to deeply interpret the Declaration of Independence, to morph its meaning into something it never intended to be. Justice Taney did this to try to justify his decision in the Dred Scott Case.  He uses the same line from the Declaration of Independence that Lincoln took at face value and interprets as, it was made to “embrace the whole human family… But it is too clear for dispute, that the enslaved African race were not intended to be included.” This shows that Justice Taney wanted to, in any way possible, justify his actions, even at the cost of morphing The Declaration of Independence in to something it was never meant to be.

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Abraham Lincoln and Robert B. Taney both came to very different interpretations of the Declaration of independence. These differences in perspectives were built on different experiences and beliefs. Lincoln firmly believed the phrase “all men are created equal”. This fiery passion for equality no matter the raise directly contradicted Taney’s beliefs. Additionally Lincoln believed that the black slaves that were brought to the county unjustly should have full access to the liberty enjoyed by all the free white people. In contrast, Taney believed that when the phrase “all men are created equal” in the declaration was in the context of excluding the African American race within the Declaration of Independence. He also believed that because it was written by slave owners themselves that it was surely preposterous. The question of how these two politicians could have managed to widen the gap between there opinions on the decorating as much as shown has undeniable evidence. Abraham Lincoln was raised in poverty and endured manual labor and the death of his mother as early as the age of nine which built him to be a compassionate human who understood that condoning slavery should be against everyone’s human morals. While Taney was born into a slave owning tobacco plantation who’s parents were the fifth generation owners of the plantation. This upbringing prompted the pro-slavery politician that he turned into.

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Abraham Lincoln and Roger Taney both saw the Declaration of Independence through completely different perspectives. Lincoln believed the document was pure and a perfect representation of the world he’s been yearning for because it accepted all as equal. While Taney believed when the document said “all men were created equal”, the representatives that created the document were clearly excluding blacks as they themselves owned slaves. Lincoln seemed to have taken the document at face value while Taney however, dove deeper to better understand the false cover that the quote “all men were created equal” was not intended to include enslaved or free blacks. Taney thought if the creators of the document really cared about created a perfect and equal union, action to support blacks would have been taken.

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Robert B Taney and Abraham Lincoln reached very different conclusions about the inclusivity of African Americans in American society by interpreting the Declaration of Independence in extremely different ways. Additionally, the backgrounds of both men and the societal norms of their lives and upbringings seem to have played a role in their interpretations. Taney quoted the constitution when arguing that “the enslaved African race were not intended to be included, and formed no part of the people who framed and adopted [the] declaration”. With this statement, Taney chooses to focus on the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence, and how the America pictured in the minds of the white men who created it did not include African Americans. Taney even states that the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal under god”, still does not include African Americans from the standpoints and “intents” of the authors. This exclusion can be traced back to his own life, being born into a wealthy, slave owning family, had likely instilled pro-slavery and anti-black ideas into him from an early age. In contrast, Abraham Lincoln’s standpoint was not reading between the lines of the real, unwritten, and likely assumed intent of the authors of the Declaration. Lincoln argued that the statement of equality was a foundational moral principle that applied all people of America, including African Americans. He thought of the Declaration as a liftoff point for America, to grow into the declaration with equality and inclusivity. Lincoln’s background also contrasts with Taney’s, as Abraham Lincoln was born into a poor family of farmers who opposed slavery. These humble, abolitionist beginnings seem to have shaped Lincoln to have such powerful ideas of equality in America. Overall, Taney used the Declaration to justify exclusion of African Americans and deny them rights as citizens, while Lincoln used it as a moral standard to argue for expanding rights and equality, opposing slavery.

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Abraham Lincoln and Roger Taney had conflicting ideas regarding the meaning of the Declaration of Independence due to prior experiences and beliefs.For example, Lincoln believed that the line “ All men are created equal” should be extended to everybody, including blacks. He also supported his argument by noting that many of the founders of the Declaration would have included slavery in the document if they wanted to continue the practice. Unlike Lincoln, Taney said that during the time period of the declaration blacks were not valued at all when it was signed. Taney additionally highlighted the countless number of slaveholders who signed the declaration including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. This supported his argument that blacks shouldn’t be seen as a part of society. Overall, Lincoln and Taneys conflicting beliefs were stemmed by the misinterpretation of quotes embedded in the Declaration of Independence.