John Marshall

Luther Martin of Maryland & the Constitutional Convention

Luther Martin understood human nature with a genius of sheer power, foresight, and brilliance. He believed that there can be no union without subsidiarity because without it, governments run with the cyclical and typical tyrannies of humankind... Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet, The Life...

Marshall vs. Jefferson: Then and Now

In sharp contrast to John Marshall’s elitist orientation—with its em­phasis on the primacy of the national government, and restraint of the excesses of democracy—Thomas Jefferson’s philosophy was at once populistic and highly individualistic... Today’s offering in our Timeless Essay series affords readers the opportunity to...

Marshall vs. Jefferson: Then and Now

Throughout the first decade of the American republic, competing claims regarding the proper interpretation of the Constitution and the application of its principles were confined primarily to the executive branch and Congress. The Supreme Court...