John Marshall was born on September 24th, 1755 in Farquhar County, Virginia to Thomas and Mary Randolph Keith Marshall. His father was a land surveyor and provided a good life for his children. Thomas homeschooled John until John went to Campbell Academy in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
One of his classmates was James Monroe. His involvement in the Revolutionary War was unique and very important. Marshall joined the military during the Revolutionary War at the age of 20. He had been inspired by his father's friend, George Washington.
He became the lieutenant for the Culpeper Minutemen, which joined the Continental Army's 11th Regiment of Virginia. He fought in the Battle of Great Bridge, freeing Virginia from Great Britain. He was promoted to an officer in the Continental Army while serving under Colonel Morgan. He fought in the Battle of Brandywine.
His military reputation grew after his brave and unstoppable prowess on the battlefield. During the Battle of Germantown, he was wounded in the head while leading a charge. He stayed at Valley Forge and was appointed Chief Legal Officer by George Washington. His father was stationed in Yorktown in 1780. He went to visit him and met Mary Wallace Ambler, his future wife.
He left the military to study law the same year. He studied law by going to Judge George Wythe's lectures at the College of William and Mary. That was all the law training he did, and all he needed.
He was admitted to the Virginia Bar and began practicing law in 1780. His reputation as a lawyer grew as he defeated clients against British creditors. Marshall held many roles in government. His first was representing Farquhar County.
in the Virginia General Assembly. In 1782, 87, and 95, he was a delegate for Henrico County in the House of Delegates. He was the city recorder in 1785. In 1788, Marshall was a delegate during Virginia's state convention to ratify the U.S.
Constitution. In 1798, Marshall was invited to join the U.S. Supreme Court, but declined to do so.
He did participate. in the XYZ affair in a diplomatic mission to France. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1799, but only held the office briefly because President John Adams appointed him Secretary of State.
He was also a delegate to the Virginian Constitutional Convention in 1829 and 1830. In January of 1801, John Adams nominated John Marshall to the Supreme Court. He was sworn in the following February. Marshall oversaw many cases. and led to many decisions over his 34-year career. Some of the most notable are Marbury v. Madison, the U.S. v. Aaron Burr.
Marshall ruled that the prosecution did not have enough evidence to prove treason, but charged Burr with a high misdemeanor. McCulloch v. Maryland, dealing with banks. Cohens v. Virginia. As the Supreme Court Chief Justice, he made more than 1,000 decisions and 500 opinions.
John Marshall died on July 6, 1835. He was 79 years old. It is rumored that the Liberty Bell was cracked as it rang during his funeral procession. I hope you've enjoyed learning about John Marshall. He was a very important American who helped fight in the Revolutionary War and formed the role of the Supreme Court in the American government.
His connection to Kentucky is simple. Marshall County, the 92nd county of Kentucky, was named after John Marshall. Don't forget to try out audibletrial.com slash KYHistoryPod to get a free book of your choosing. If you'd like to support the channel, check out our Patreon page at patreon.com slash KYHistoryPod.
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