How To Pronounce Taneycomo

[KATroutman13]

21 days my friend, 21 days. Actually this has to do with my application to the Taney County prosecutor's office. I was telling a friend from Ozark I was applying there and she corrected my pronunciation. We had a discussion. I decided to let this board be the neutral decision maker.

Believe it or not, the market is pretty thin for attorneys right now. My grades are not stellar enough for the big time firms who pay big time money and I would never get to litigate with them any way. At least this position would put me on my feet and it would be on the side of criminal work I could stomach. Having trial experience, so I am told, opens up a new world of possibilities and as seen from my Conservationist post, I enjoy being in an adversarial system.

Not sure what the pay is, but by God, it is better than no pay at all, right?

[Trav]

As my Gramps always said, "every dollar you earn is a dollar more than you had before."

[Project Healing Waters]

TAY-nee County, Missouri, is named after the former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court who authored the Dredd Scott decision. His name is pronounced TAY-nee. This would also be handy to know if applying for a job with the prosecutor's office.

[Trav]

"It is difficult at this day to realize the state of public opinion in regard to that unfortunate race which prevailed in the civilized and enlightened portions of the world at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and when the Constitution of the United States was framed and adopted; but the public history of every European nation displays it in a manner too plain to be mistaken. They had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far unfit that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." Roger B. Taney, Supreme Court Cheif Justice 1857

Who's dumb butt decision was it to name a missouri county after a Maryland born, pro-slavery bigot? Like that is something to be proud of.

[drbewley]

"It is difficult at this day to realize the state of public opinion in regard to that unfortunate race which prevailed in the civilized and enlightened portions of the world at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and when the Constitution of the United States was framed and adopted; but the public history of every European nation displays it in a manner too plain to be mistaken. They had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far unfit that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." Roger B. Taney, Supreme Court Cheif Justice 1857

Who's dumb butt decision was it to name a missouri county after a Maryland born, pro-slavery bigot? Like that is something to be proud of.

Those dumb asses were pretty busy trying to make a living. Hind sight it pretty good.

[Trav]

Haha

You shouldnt be in government if all you want to do is make a living. Although, I wont argue that it can be a hard job.

[Terry Beeson]

Who's dumb butt decision was it to name a missouri county after a Maryland born, pro-slavery bigot? Like that is something to be proud of.

It could be argued that over half the cities, counties, streets, buildings, etc. are named after one or more of the following:

Slave owners

Whoremongers

Drunks

Drug addicts

Communists

Bigots

It's all a matter of perspective and marketing...

[Project Healing Waters]

The historical record is actually fairly clear that Chief Justice RB Taney was NOT a radical bigot. In fact, he freed all of his slaves prior to the Civil War and even gave pensions to those whom he deemed too old to work. He referred to slavery as a "blight against our nation."

What he said in the Dredd Scott case that has followed him long since he wrote it down and condemned him to the position of a pro-slavery racist is best paraphrased as: the framers of Constitution didn't think blacks to be truly human. They didn't relate to them at all in any political or social way. Thus, the writers of the Constitution would have in no way meant for civil rights to apply to slaves. It wouldn't have dawned on them. Therefore, the ruling of the court is that the US Constitution does NOT guarantee the right of full citizenship to blacks.

You see, he was a strict constructionalist. He believed that the FRAMERS' INTENT was of paramount importance when interpreting the Constitution...not his own political, social, or religious opinions...or anyone else's who did not have their names on the dotted line.

He DID see the Civil War as a war of northern aggression against the south. But that was not because he was pro-slavery. It was because he believed strongly in states rights over nationalism and thought the US government was seriously overstepping its authority.

Finally, Taney County was named after Chief Justice Taney one year after he took over the Supreme Court and BEFORE the Dredd Scott case ever reached the Supreme Court. So we cannot assume that there was any racist or pro-slavery intent on the part of the namers of the county in their choice of names. Taney County has always been a Republican stronghold in Missouri. And Abraham Lincoln (and most of the Abolitionist movement) were Republicans. So it would seem reasonable that Taney County...in spite of being located in extreme southern Missouri before the Civil War...was probably not an overly pro-slavery place. Slavery was legal here. But it was likely a fairly contested issue. FYI, the Taney County Courthouse was destroyed in a Civil War battle. We don't hear much about that battle. But that would have taken place in the old town of Forsyth on the banks of the White River...now submerged beneath Lake Taneycomo.

[Trav]

PHW,

I read the same info last night on Wikepedia.com.

I really doubt the Dredd decision would have made any difference even if it had been known at the time of naming Taney county. In those days it was common practice that Democratic(Federalists) state leaders assigned popular names of thier party to countys, streets, towns, ect, while they were in power. As did all partys going back to the beginning.

However history wants to brighten the reality of the man, He still owned slaves even if he was civil to them. So in part, he had an investment in that practice.

I wont disrespect his narrow impartiality while he served on the bench but his decisions were, in base, politically popular of the day and very self preserving to his appointment.

Simply put, he was spineless and morally impotant when it came to sticking his neck out for the better good. He hid behind the letter of the law and treaded lightly when it came to changing the law.

If I am wrong , Please correct me, but even though Missouri had legal slave ownership, Wasnt it illegal to buy,sell,or trade slaves within the state? I cant find a verification. I do remember something of that nature being discussed in Political Science class. That was many moons ago. Haha

[Project Healing Waters]

Virtually everyone from those times would be considered "spineless" about their feelings on slavery and racism if held to the same retrospective standard to which you hold Justice Taney. Abraham Lincoln said in the L-D Debates, "Do not misunderstand me. I never have argued for one second that any negro was the equal to any white man. And I certainly would not want one living next door to me!" Lincoln, in fact, had ZERO notion of issuing the emancipation proclamation until he was convinced by his cabinet that it would wreak havoc in the South. If you recall, the EP did NOT free slaves OUTSIDE of the Confederate states. In other words, US slaves were still slaves even after the EP.

As for buying/selling of slaves in MO, I believe it was still allowed up until a few years before the Civil War. But I do not recall emphatically. There were a bunch of Constitutional problems with the whole issue of slavery in those days. It is clearly unconstitutional to proscribe the buying, selling, and trading of ANY legal property in the US. So if slaves were legal to own, they were also legal to buy/sell/trade (according the the USCON). Slavery literally unraveled the USCON. And we never really put it back together.