From Antislavery Lawyer to Chief Justice: The Remarkable But Forgotten Career of Salmon P. Chase
51 Pages Posted: 29 Aug 2012 Last revised: 15 Sep 2016
Date Written: 2013
Abstract
The name Salmon P. Chase is barely known and his career is largely forgotten. In this paper, the author seeks to revive his memory by tracing the arc of his career from antislavery lawyer, to antislavery politician, to Chief Justice of the United States. In addition to explaining why this is a career worth both remembering and honoring, the author offers some possible reasons why his remarkable achievements have largely been forgotten.
Keywords: antislavery, Justice Chase, constitutional abolitionists, abolition of slavery, constitutionalists, civil rights, political history
JEL Classification: K00, K30, K39
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation