the arguments of white, radical republicans like sumner, wade, ellis, and stevens owed a great deal tolacks' decades-long attempts to push the declaration of independence to the forefront of american political discourse. thus, it was african-americans who helped to bring about a fundamental shift in american notion of rights, from the rights that taney had discussed in dred scott, the rights of slave holders, to the rights of enslaved persons. taney had relied on the fifth amendment of the constitution to emphasize the rights of property. but african-americans looked to the declaration of independence to champion the rights of all human beings. the passing of taney, the revolutionary times was probably most evident in a truly historic event on february 1st, 1865, less than four months after taney's death, a month before lincoln's second inauguration, and 2 1/2 months before lee's surrender at appomattox. on that day, john s. rock of massachusetts, whom i mentioned earlier, became the first african-american to gain qqnz admission to the bar of the united states supreme court when he wa