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JOHN MARSHALL OF VIRGINIA
THE "GREAT CHIEF JUSTICE"
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"If American
law were to be represented by a single figure, skeptic and worshiper
alike would agree without dispute that the figure could be but one
alone, and that one [is] John Marshall."
–Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
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John Marshall became Chief
Justice in 1801 and served on the Supreme Court for 34 years, earning
the title "expounder of the Constitution." John Marshall had a
well-established reputation as an agreeable host who attracted positive
attention through his good humor and appealing modesty. Would you like
to have this famous Chief Justice preside over your next meeting?
Discover how Marshall fought militarily and sought politically to:
SECURE SUCCESS IN
TIMES OF REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE.
Today "Judge Marshall" (as
portrayed by historian Mark Greenough) can draw on considerable
military, legal and civil government experience to provide engaging
insight into many timely themes, including:
- Effective
leadership (as exemplified by George Washington)
- Working
together in a common cause (Marshall served at Valley Forge)
- Front
line experience versus distant decision-making (for national defense)
- American
neutrality versus "entangling alliances" (as Secretary of State)
- Putting
principle before party or popularity (the Alien and Sedition Acts)
. . .and the qualities needed
for successful public service. Many know Marshall as the longest
serving Chief Justice in U.S. Supreme Court history. But he also served
as a revolutionary soldier, member of the Virginia Assembly, delegate
to the Virginia constitutional convention,
U. S. envoy to France, federal Congressman and Secretary of State in
President Adam's cabinet. In 1800 Secretary Marshall presided over the
relocation of the federal government from Philadelphia to Washington,
D.C. and became the first official to occupy the new "White House."
There are several role-playing
Marshall vignettes to choose from, including:
"The Path of Duty":
Lt. John Marshall in the American Revolution
Learn about Marshall's military service in the famous Culpepper
Minutemen battalion at the 1775 Battle of Great Bridge and his later
service in the Virginia Continental line at Valley Forge as a Judge
Advocate General. Discover the formative influence of his five years in
uniform on Marshall's maturing political views as a moderate spokesman
of the emerging federalist party.
President John
Marshall? The Disputed National Election of 1800
In 1798 George Washington persuaded a reluctant John Marshall to run
for Congress. Relive Marshall's rapid rise to national office during
the administration of Pres. John Adams. Learn how Marshall took a
dangerous stand between the "anti-federalists" led by his cousin Thomas
Jefferson and the "high federalists" led by Alexander Hamilton.
Discover how Marshall worked hard as a Congressman and Secretary of
State to preserve the fragile American Union amid the powerful partisan
politics leading to the "Revolution of 1800."
"The Supreme Law":
Judge John Marshall and the U. S. Constitution
Become familiar with
Marshall's career as a successful practicing attorney at Richmond and
throughout Virginia. Hear him explain his views on the need for an
independent judiciary with the vested power of "judicial review," which
is different from the modern doctrine of "judicial activism." Explore
the deep-seated differences between Chief Justice Marshall and
President Jefferson as revealed in the fascinating and celebrated 1803
legal case of Marbury v. Madison.
RECENT "MARSHALL"
APPEARANCES
The year 2001 marked the 200th
anniversary of John Marshall's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Last year Mark Greenough had the privilege of role-playing the chief
justice for the Supreme Court of Virginia (30 January), the John
Marshall Foundation at the Library of Virginia (3 February), the
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities at the John
Marshall House (29 September) and on the grounds of "Mont Blanc," the
farm of John Marshall, Jr. (28 October).
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