Paul provides a detailed examination of the life of John Marshall in this book. He notes “This is the story of the life and times of an exceptional man who mastered the art of self-invention and applied it to everything he did.”
Paul summarized Marshall’s time on the court as follows: “ For thirty-four years on the Supreme Court, Marshall resisted the centrifugal forces of regionalism and parochialism. He eschewed rigid ideology. His was a consistent voice for moderation, compromise, and pragmatism in the face of ideologues and adversaries. In an era without precedent, Marshall invented the legal principles that form the foundation of American constitutional and international law today. He defended the independence of the judiciary and the sanctity of property and contract. He jealously guarded the separation of powers. And he dared to imagine a dynamic interpretation of the Constitution that could accommodate the nation’s progress from a backward localized agrarian economy to a modern national industrial economy.”
One of the major themes of the book is comparing Marshall and Thomas Jefferson. They came from different backgrounds and political affiliation. The following is one such passage: “Until Jefferson’s passing, they lived as mirror opposites for half a century in almost every way. No Marshall biography can avoid taking sides in their conflicted relationship. That is not to say that Marshall was always right or that Jefferson was always wrong. Both were exceptional and entirely human. They were flawed, and sometimes they erred. Yet both Marshall and Jefferson were indispensable to the founding of the Republic.”
Marshall’s outlook on life was also shaped through war. He fought in the Revolutionary War including the winter at Valley Forge. He also saw the British capture Richmond and Charlottesville. Paul notes: “Death and destruction demonstrated to Marshall the essential fragility of the social contract. It was easy for Jefferson to write about revolution since he had never experienced war firsthand. Marshall’s military experience taught him to eschew facile ideologies and resort to violence. The elements of Marshall’s conservatism were now formed—a belief in ordered liberty and a respect for property, national defense, moderation, and the need for reconciliation.“
Paul picks some of the memorable Supreme Court cases that Marshall decided and analyzes them in detail including Marbury v Madison and Gibbons v Ogden.
Overall this is a thorough biography of the life of John Marshall. I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
Thomas Aquinas is credited as one of the greatest proponents of natural law. During his time in Cologne he was taught by Albertus Magnus. Magnus used the teachings of Aristotle in his mentorship of Thomas Aquinas.
Samuel Adams believed in American Independence from Great Britain. He is one of the most well know Son's of Liberty. On August 1, 1776 he gave a speech to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
London, England, Wednesday 11:00PM
Alister Fairfax impatiently tapped his fingers on his steering wheel and glanced repeatedly at his watch as he waited for the gate to his mansion to open. The early November drizzle was just strong enough that he had his windshield wipers on. The weather was just what one might expect for London at this time of year.
Unfortunately the evening had been just what Fairfax had expected as well. A waste of time and money. The opera had been dull and the conversations at dinner had been boring. The only redeeming decision of the night had been when he decided that he and his wife would drive separately. Otherwise he would still be trapped in a mind numbing social event.
Fairfax was not a man of extravagant tastes. He drove a 20 year old Porsche that he had bought during the foolish days of his youth. In fact he would not even have lived in the Mayfair mansion if not for the social importance it signified. It was a calculated business expense that brought returns so it stayed.
As soon as the gate was wide enough for his car to squeeze through ...
