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11th Grade Essay

Decent Essays

Essay Prompt 3

During the founding of the new nation, the United States, there were a number of influential people who made important decisions based on their various opinions. These people, the founding fathers of the United States, would set examples, ideals, and rules for many leaders to come. Our first president George Washington, our 3rd president Thomas Jefferson, and our first Supreme Court justice John Marshall were all very important and influential individuals. Together, their opinions and ideals helped shape the growth of our nation from domestic policy to the basis of the government’s operation.

George Washington was the first president of the United States of America as well as one of its founding fathers. …show more content…

One of the most important contributions he made for the Supreme Court was the concept of judicial review. After the case of Marbury vs. Madison, the Supreme Court was given the power to review laws, and court cases in order to determine whether a law or case was constitutional. John Marshall also extended the power of the Supreme Court to cover all matters not explicitly mentioned to be governed in the state. In short, he created most of the power that is invested in the Supreme Court today.

The most influential of these three men was John Marshall. He was the most influential person because he created a strong judicial branch, something that is essential to the system of checks and balances. Without the power that currently resides in the Judiciary branch of the United States, the government would be an unbalanced system that would be able to create laws between the executive branch and legislative branch without any chance of rulings on constitutionality from the court. For example, in the case of Dred Scott vs. Sanford (a famous case regarding slaves’ Constitutional rights), the Supreme Court struck down several federal laws, including the Missouri Compromise, which was ruled unconstitutional. While most people today wouldn’t agree with the ruling given in Dred Scott, it still shows the power of the judicial

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