... the illegitimate son of Rachel Faucett (also spelled Fawcett) Levien and an irresponsible drifter of noble Scottish lineage named James Hamilton. Rachel was a French Hugenot and daughter of John and Mary (who's own marriage ended in divorce). Rachel met and married a planter on the island of St. ... Alexander was between eleven and thirteen years old she installed in her son a value for education and taught him to speak fluent French. When James left she became a tenant merchant and Alexander got a job working for the West Indies branch of a New York mercantile farm. James Sr. abandoned...

• Word Count: 1696
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... a course of law lectures at the College of William and Mary, conducted by George Wythe for a period of six weeks. George Wythe is the only lecturer that there is evidence of that John took notes on. Though James Madison was president of this college and allegedly John took a class of his ... he eventually became involved in the "XYZ affair". Marshall was very adamant in his refusals of bribes from the French to Tallyrand and others. This created a bad relationship between the United States and France. Even so Marshall was well received back home and received much ... commissions from th...

• Word Count: 2064
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School