Washington College, the first college chartered in the new nation, is founded to “nurse the souls of our youth up to the love of LIBERTY and KNOWLEDGE.” George Washington lends his name to this College during his lifetime and serves on its board. Founder Dr. William Smith (1727-1803), a Scottish immigrant, aims to keep “the legacy of the country’s founders alive, preserving their ideals and virtues into the distant future” with “youth of all religious denominations…freely and liberally admitted.”
Marylander Roger B. Taney hands down the Dred Scott decision.
Roger Taney, Maryland native and Supreme Court Chief Justice, delivers 7-2 opinion in 1857, in the Dred Scott case, declaring that Blacks in the US are not considered citizens nor entitled to government protection, and that Congress cannot prohibit slavery. The decision becomes a major factor leading to the Civil War.
