John Marshall Research Paper

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John Marshall was the 4th Chief Justice of the United States of America. His court opinions assisted in laying the basis for the American Constitutional Law. He served as the Chief Justice for the duration of 6 Presidents; John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson. During the American Revolution, Marshall served in the Militia of Virginia. There he reached the rank of Captain. He also spent two years in Valley Forge during the harsh winter of the war. After the war, Marshall returned to his hometown in Germansville, Virginia. There he set forth his life in politics and law by being elected to serve in the Virginia house of delegates. He served there in 1782, 1787, 1795, and 1797. He …show more content…

He wrote 519 of the opinions himself. He helped establish the Supreme Court as the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution and issues dealing with the decisions that must be decided by the federal courts. John Adams was so fond of him that he wrote this piece to show the impact that Marshall made. “My gift of John Marshall to the people of the United States was the proudest act of my life.” (Adams, n.d.)A major change that Marshall made within this time in the courts was that Supreme Court practice handing down a single opinion. He wanted the court to present a clear opinion on the matters. With Marshalls outspoken personality, most justices followed his views. But his views were not always followed by everyone. His view was shot down in the case of Ogden v. Saunders of 1827. His interpretation of the Constitution was this, “To say that the intention of the instrument must prevail, that this intention must be collected from its words, that its words are to be understood in the sense in which that are generally used by those for whom the instrument was intended. That its provisions are neither to be restricted into insignificance nor extend into objects not contemplated by its framers; - is to repeat what is already said more at large, and is all that can be necessary.” (Ogden v. Saunders,

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