Some called it a point of reflection. Others called it a brighter mark in a dark chapter in America's storybook. Many called it a wrong that was made right.
But, all called it a piece that couldn't change history, but would change the way Frederick remembers it.
The long-awaited unveiling of a plaque that explains the context of the 1857 "Dred Scott Decision," delivered by Frederick native and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, happened Tuesday at City Hall. The dedication followed more than two years of struggle to provide a balanced background for one of Frederick's most distinguished and controversial historic figures.
Frederick leaders from all levels of government, as well as notable guest speakers attended the ceremony, which was marked by emotion.
"This [plaque] has been the source of disagreements in the past, and I am pleased that we've been able to make some progress on this resolution," Frederick Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger (R) told the crowd.
"By no means am I under any illusion that this resolution pleases everybody, but I do believe it stands for the proposition that a reasonable compromise can come through sincere dialogue, and that's exactly what happened in this matter."
The plaque explains the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, in which freed slaves Dred and Harriet Scott unsuccessfully sued for their freedom after being sold back into slavery. Taney authored the majority opinion in 1857 that blacks were not citizens and therefore could not bring suit in federal courts.
The Frederick County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People asked the city to remove a bust of Taney — erected in 1931 — two years ago because of the controversial history. City officials and the NAACP later compromised to add the plaque to educate residents about Taney and the Scotts.
This led to a committee of city and community leaders formed to come up with the proper language for the plaque, a process that some committee members called "heated and passionate." The wording was primarily authored by Alderman C. Paul Smith (R), attorney Barry Kissin and Mark Hudson, former executive director of the Historical Society of Frederick County. The city paid a little more than $18,000 for the plaque.
"We went through some hard discussions — make no mistake about it," said former Alderman Bill Hall, who helped to write the plaque, along with his brother, Jim Hall. "There were some heated — or should I say — passionate debates."
"Hopefully this plaque can be a teaching moment," he added.
The plaque, titled "The Dred Scott Decision," is engraved with images of the Scotts, and includes a seven-paragraph text that explains who they were and the role of Taney in their lives.
Attorney Kevin Lollar, who was heavily involved in the plaque's concept, told the crowd Tuesday: "Today, we recognize — and it's an overdue recognition — two American heroes."
Lollar, also director of development of the city's Housing Authority, looked to fifth-graders at Lincoln Elementary School, who treated the crowd with two musical performances, to exemplify the start of several teaching moments.
"That makes it worth every dime, every penny, every frustration, every anxiety," Lollar said. "We did the right thing by taking this opportunity to educate ourselves and educate our children, honestly, about where we've been."
Judge Robert Bell, chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, was the guest of honor at the event, and took the crowd through a 20-minute history lesson, including a biographical timeline of the Scotts and the legacy of Taney.
"This case continues to have an impact on not only on black history, but on American history," Bell said. "It is viewed by most scholars to be the ‘ultimate bad decision.'"
However, Bell told the crowd that it was Taney's decision that spurred a series of momentous civil rights events, and ultimately the emergence of another local attorney, the first black Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall of Baltimore.
"It is fitting that a plaque to Dred and Harriet Scott be placed here next to the bust of Roger Brooke Taney, because it was they who provided us the opportunity of having the juxtaposition of two Maryland justices, going in opposite directions, but achieving at the end, that which the Constitution promises us all — and that is equality," Bell said.
E-mail Erica L. Green at egreen@gazette.net.
