John Marshall's Effect on the American Judicial System Essays

The late 1700s and early 1800s was a critical time period in American history in which our newly independent nation was beginning to lay down the groundwork for how the country would run. During this time, America was in its infancy and its crucial first steps would dictate how the nation would either walk, run, or retreat. John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the Unites States, was a highly important and influential political figure whose decisions forever molded the future of the American judicial system. Like many other great political figures, much of John Marshall’s influence can be attributed to timing; he emerged just as the United States Constitution came into existence.

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, the family farm in Goochland (now Albemarle) County, Virginia. (The date was April 2 by the calendar then in use.) He was the third child in the family and grew up with six sisters and one brother. Two other brothers died in infancy. His father, Peter Jefferson, had served as surveyor, sheriff, colonel of militia, and member of the House of Burgesses. Thomas's mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, came from one of the oldest families in Virginia. Thomas developed the normal interests of a country boy—hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and canoeing. He also learned to play the violin and to love music. Jefferson was 14 years old when his father died. As the oldest son, he became head of the family. He inherited more than 2,500 acres (1,010 hectares) of land and at least 20 slaves. His guardian, John Harvie, managed the estate until Jefferson was 21. Thomas began his studies under a tutor. At age 9, he went to live with a Scottish clergyman, who taught him Latin, Greek, and French. After his father died, Thomas entered the school of James Maury, an Anglican clergyman, near Charlottesville. (Thomas Jefferson : a life / Willard Sterne Randall. Published: New

After graduation, John aspired to practice law, but he quickly discovered that dreams don't always happen immediately. His first job was the position of a schoolmaster at a school in Worcester, Massachusetts. John was not exactly content in the classroom setting because was restricted and couldn't leave his mark on the world that he someday hoped to accomplish. In 1758, he took his opportunity to follow his dream by

Few individuals have left as prominent a mark on the United States as Chief Justice John Marshall. An ardent Federalist, he worked throughout most of his life to separate the powers of national and state government, furthering the agenda of his party long after they dissolved.

“Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever,” declared by past President William Howard Taft. Dated in 1789, the Judiciary Act by signed by Congress, which was demanded by the United States Constitution. This past principal court was ruled by a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices, accordingly today we still have a Chief Justice, but we currently have eight Associate Justices. The current Supreme Court has John G. Roberts, Jr. as Chief Justice, and the following are the current Associate Justices: Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Clarence Thomas, a conservative, best known as the second

After the American colonies won their freedom from Great Britain needed to create a new government. The Articles of Confederation were developed, bestowing America with its first official government. The Articles were composed of many restrictions creating an inadequate body of government. One of the main reasons the articles didn't work was from the lack of a strong central government the states received too much liberty and freedom, and on the other hand congress was weak and restricted. The government did not have enough power to govern all the states efficiently under the articles of confederation, it couldn't tax or regulate trade . From the time period when the Articles were constructed in 1781, to when they were discarded in 1789, the

The Federalist were aware of the people’s fears, but they were just hungry for a strong central government. The danger of a strong central government is a threat to the state governments, and is a threat against citizens own rights. During the 1780’s to 1790’s the U.S. was still in a trial and error period. These were the building years of the U.S. government.

This document indicates how the value and the role of the Supreme Court revolved over the course of American history. The idea of separation power and three branches of government wasn’t as clear as it is today. In fact, when the United States was first established, during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, no one was clear on to what extend should the judicial power be

Thomas Paine had one of the most tremendous impacts during the Revolution because he helped advocate American Independence. His biggest action during the revolution was creating the pamphlet “Common Sense” to help explain why the colonies needed their independence from Britain. Thomas Paine was born into a Quaker family January 29, 1737. He was born in Thetford, England and attended school until the age thirteen at which he was forced to leave England and become an apprentice.

James was the oldest of four children, and the only male. He always liked to tell me stories about his family and his adventures from New Jersey to California. At age eighteen he decided to head west, settling as a farmer near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after briefly residing in Indiana and Illinois. After several unhealthy and unsuccessful years of famine, Marshall decided in 1844 to join a wagon train headed to California. James arrived in July of 1845 near a river settlement run by John Sutter, who quickly gave him employment as a carpenter.

The Articles of Confederation, a written agreement that ensured each state’s sovereignty, freedom and independence, led America to victory over the British centralized government. During the late eighteenth century, the empowered government terrified the Americans, hence the thirteen colonies decided to spread governance powers equally to all functional states. The states had absolute dominance over the Congress due to the Articles of Confederation. While the localized power of states seemed to be promising, the system posed great threat to the major components of a democratic government, which are coercion, revenue, and legitimacy (Lecture 1 - The Roots of Government). The system of localized power did not ensure legitimacy, which referred to people’s recognition of national government. Congress’s lack of power to control each state’s actions caused great chaos. Eventually, national government’s lack of power and inability to unify the states exposed multiple flaws in the Articles of Confederation; consequently, a new supreme law, the Constitution was established by the founding fathers. The new supreme law successfully altered the imbalanced system into a novel democratic government.

In a little cottage in Fauquier County on the Virginia frontier on September 24, 1755 John Marshall was the first born of 15 to his mother Mary Randolph Keith and his father Thomas Marshall. Being in a large family of 15, Marshall learned from a very young age that he would have to speak up to be heard and fight for what he wanted. Thomas Marshall was a very successful land speculator in Fauquier County which made him a strong man in the eyes of the town and of his son. Thomas also strongly believed in the power of knowledge. Knowing that education was important, Thomas Marshall home schooled his children for most of their childhood, where he would teach them practical life skills. At the age of 14, Marshall moved to Westmoreland County where he would attend Campbell Academy for a year. Which would be followed by a year studying with a parish priest out of this family home.

After being introduced in to the legal and political aspects of society, Thomas decided to continue on his interests and gained new interests while doing so. His education started at a very high London school called, St. Anthony’s. Here he was able to learn and gain knowledge of the world of legal and political topics. At the age of 12 he was able to enter the house of the archbishop John Morton, who was Henry VIII’s closest advisor at the time. This experience that Thomas was able to go through helped him better experience the world, as well as introduce him to Greek studies. After this opportunity he traveled back to London, where his legal and political careers began. After his opportunity to stay with John Morton, he was able to have a

Any nationwide endeavor across the world over is always faced with a myriad of challenges when one factor in, the interest of different individuals or groups. During the early years of the USA, there were many problems that politicians at the time faced when trying to create and strengthen the country’s Constitution. In the early 1780’s the young country was in a deep depression, and this played a key role in influencing the exercise as it ultimately led to a heated debate about the powers of the National and State governments. Most of the conservative politicians at the time preferred a stronger federal government while state radicals believed that states should have more power since it was in a better position to determine what was best for their citizens (Jilson, 2009). More sticking points divided the founding fathers which threatened the stability and establishment of the USA, such as slavery and federalism.

“Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774, near Charlottesville, Virginia and was the boyhood neighbor of Thomas Jefferson.” (lewisandclark) “Meriwether Lewis spent much of his time as a youth in the outdoors, and developed an interest in plants, animals, and geology. He enlisted as a private in the Virginia Volunteer Corps during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. In 1795, he joined the regular U.S. Army at the rank of Ensign and was later promoted to the rank of Captain. In 1801 Lewis became the personal secretary to Thomas Jefferson, the newly-elected President of the United States. (Scienceviews)