John Marshall was born on September 24, 1755, in Prince William County, which is now Fauquier, Virginia. He was born in a log cabin on the Virginia frontier and was the first of fifteen children. Nine years later Thomas moved his family thirty miles away to a valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains. His parents Thomas Marshall and Mary Randolph Keith, both were not formally educated, but were considered to be adequately intelligent. They both had the ability to read and write. Marshall’s parents were involved in many social events, as well as partaking in religious and political activities. Thomas Marshall worked with President George Washington on numerous occasions and surveyed the Fairfax Estate with him on one, and they even became good friends. This is the estate th

At the near end of Adams presidency he made a number of “midnight” appointments. Forty-two people were appointed to be justices of the peace for the Counties of Washington and Alexandria in the District of Columbia. They were confirmed by the Federalist Senate and the commissions were signed, sealed, but obviously not delivered. After Jefferson’s inauguration he directed James Madison as Secretary of State, to issue commissions to twenty-five of the persons appointed by Adams, but to withhold the commissions from the other seventeen. One of these seventeen men that’s name was withheld was William Marbury. The men then applied to the Supreme Court for a write of mandamus urging Madison to send them their commissions. This suit eventually became known as Marbury v. Madison, which established the practice of judicial review by Federal Courts over acts of the other two branches of government.

The administration of both Washington and Adams offered Marshall a position, but he declined them all. George Washington presented him a job as attorney general, as well as a position on the Supreme Court and secretary of war under Adams. President Adams also asked Marshall to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, but he declined this offer. With the help of Washington, Marshall was triumphant in his race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1799, though his stay was short. When Marshall was offered a position as Secretary of State by Adams in 1800, he accepted. Even when Marshall was a Chief Justice he still continued to serve as Secretary of State for President Adams and continuing in President Thomas Jefferson’s term briefly for the remaining two months.

In Marshall’s early years of law he established for himself a reputable career mainly defending individuals against their pre-War British creditors. During this time Marshall was politically active in Virginia. He served in the House of Delegates for two periods; (1782-1790 and 1795-1796). He became a state leader of the Federalist Party and this is where all the problems arouse with him and Thomas Jefferson. This is due to the prior events of Jefferson with the Virginia Federalists. Also during this time Marshall became involved in the Virginia Convention debates concerning the adoption of the Constitution. He was selected to defend a strong judiciary. Opposing Marshall was Patrick Henry. From these speeches Marshall made clear that he supported a strong federal judiciary system. In 1798 he was offered appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he rejected this offer because he wished to continue a private practice.

Some topics in this essay:
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