Historically [In]Accurate!
By: Blackmage172
I recently found out that some of the Villagers here think that I am a geek. I also found out that some of you know I'm a geek. Some have even heard that I might be a history geek. So for those nay-sayers out there, I'm here to prove to you that the rumors are true.
In my AP US History class, we've poured over countless facts and figures, some absurd, some disturbing, and some that just make you want to say "What the $%@# were they thinking???" (What can I say, it is a class on American history ) At Historically [In]Accurate, I will be sharing with you some of the most "profound" characters, "ingenious" discoveries, and "historically important" events to cross the USA (and the rest of the world!)
So, without further ado, let us begin!
William Howard Taft
Our first historical figure is a man named William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States of America. Taft served for one term (four years) from 1909-1913. He was a Republican, and the immediate successor to Theodore Roosevelt. Taft was from the state of Ohio, and after serving as President he was nominated to serve as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
True story - William Howard Taft was a large man. Over 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, he has been likened to a walrus. In fact, during his time in the White House, Taft was so large that during a bath he became stuck. The White House bath was too small for him. He eventually pulled himself out, but his legacy as a supreme fat man remains.
Does Taft have walrus in his lineage? Or is it all just a cruel joke to walruses?
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
The Dred Scott Case was a lawsuit that went all the way up to the Supreme Court concerning a slave who was suing for his freedom since his master died and he was now living on free soil. In what my History teacher called "the worst Supreme Court decision in history," Chief Justice Roger Taney not only refused Scott his freedom, but he also said 1) Blacks are not citizens, and therefore could not sue; 2) Congress can't exclude slavery from a federal territory; 3) the Missouri Compromise (established line which slavery could not cross) was unconstitutional.
The (ironic) aftermath:
- Taney died on the date his home state of Maryland abolished slavery: October 12, 1864.
- Sandford's name is permanently misspelled in the Supreme Court records. The correct spelling is "Sanford."
- The son of Dred Scott's ex-master, who was counter-suing Scott, was in an insane asylum at the time the reading was given and died shortly afterwards.
- Sanford's sister married an abolitionist who made her return Scott to his first master. Scott's first master had paid for Scott's defense throughout the trial, and when Scott was returned he freed him.
Dred Scott: a simple slave who totally owned the white man.
