Rating: 
Summary: Where is his bill?
Review: 'Definer of a Nation" is by far the most accurate and succinct description of John Marshall. He is best known for creating the idea of judicial review which finished the circle of checks and balances in American government. He is also, without a doubt, one of the most capable and visionary legal and political thinkers to walk the earth.This much is established without the assistance of Smith's book. What is done is a flushing of the character of Marshall. It is carried out brilliantly throughout, melding commentary with firsthand sources seamlessly. You get an idea of the person Marshall was from his hand, with Smith filling in what would be understood by the audience of intended by the Justice. Not only is this a supurb documentary of the life of one of the most important figures in American history, but is also extremely entertaining. If you read it, you will never again have to think about how to answer the question 'if you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"
Rating:
Summary: Where is his bill?
Review: 'Definer of a Nation" is by far the most accurate and succinct description of John Marshall. He is best known for creating the idea of judicial review which finished the circle of checks and balances in American government. He is also, without a doubt, one of the most capable and visionary legal and political thinkers to walk the earth. This much is established without the assistance of Smith's book. What is done is a flushing of the character of Marshall. It is carried out brilliantly throughout, melding commentary with firsthand sources seamlessly. You get an idea of the person Marshall was from his hand, with Smith filling in what would be understood by the audience of intended by the Justice. Not only is this a supurb documentary of the life of one of the most important figures in American history, but is also extremely entertaining. If you read it, you will never again have to think about how to answer the question 'if you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"
Rating:
Summary: Where is his bill?
Review: 'Definer of a Nation" is by far the most accurate and succinct description of John Marshall. He is best known for creating the idea of judicial review which finished the circle of checks and balances in American government. He is also, without a doubt, one of the most capable and visionary legal and political thinkers to walk the earth. This much is established without the assistance of Smith's book. What is done is a flushing of the character of Marshall. It is carried out brilliantly throughout, melding commentary with firsthand sources seamlessly. You get an idea of the person Marshall was from his hand, with Smith filling in what would be understood by the audience of intended by the Justice. Not only is this a supurb documentary of the life of one of the most important figures in American history, but is also extremely entertaining. If you read it, you will never again have to think about how to answer the question 'if you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"
Rating:
Summary: Top 5 of my favorite biographies.
Review: A must read for anyone interested in the formation of our nation, the debate over states' rights, icons of 18th century America and/or the origins of American jurisprudence. This biography is an easy read which you will recommend to family and friends.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, balanced biography
Review: Although a long-time Jefferson fan, I could not put this book down about his "nemesis". Marshall turns out to have been every bit as patriotic, anti-party and fair minded as Jefferson is reputed to have been. As the author points out, it is hard to believe how two men that were so alike could dislike each other so much. Rather than ascertain the cause of their dislike, the author was very honest in stating that there doesn't seem to be any one particular instance to give reason to such enmity. As a matter of fact, the two men were related and Jefferson, as president, had appointed Marshall's father to an important surveyor's post. The author goes to great length to give Jefferson his due and to not be vindictive. While the author obviously likes Marshall, he does not play favorites or make excuses for his subject. He explains both men's actions and motivations and stresses that both were generally after the same goals for America. As he has in recent works, Jefferson did come across as a bit petulant and vindictive in some of his actions and reactions. I couldn't help many times agreeing with Marshall's points of view when looked at from a practical or legal point (independence of the courts, commerce clause protection, laws of contracts, strong national government and anti-nullification). He was also anti-slavery in a mild, southern way. Mr. Marshall comes across as a very bright, unpretentious, extremely likable man to friend and foe alike. He was able to prevent political differences from damaging friendships and always displayed a big heart (including leading local efforts to raise money to help the estate of the deceased Jefferson). Because of his personality and leadership style, this man was able to dignify the Supreme Court's position and led it to record an astounding proportion of unanimous decisions, helping the court not to avoid looking divided on important issues. The book is very well written and despite its apparent thickness it was a delight to read about such a relatively little-known giant in our history. I rank Marshall and Madison as probably the two least credited men in our history for getting the republic on firm ground and for tempering the extreme positions that people like Jefferson, Patrick Henry, state rightists and several High Federalists were advocating. No student or aficionado should miss reading this important work.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a prize!
Review: I am neither a historian nor an academic. But I am a journalist who covers the courts, and I have frequently heard attorneys mutter this or that about the "infamous" Marbury v. Madison decision. I bought the book after visiting the Supreme Court and read it immediately upon my return. Smith's narrative is well paced. And the historic content is not presented like a textbook or even a well-written academic tome. Rather, it reads like a biography should, telling the tale based on letters and other memorabilia and done so without excessive interpretation. While I was aware of Marshall's significant place in history in terms of Marbury v. Madison, I had no idea of his key roles in other events that shaped our nation. If you like history but don't like academic minutia, you will love this book as I have.
Rating:
Summary: History at its best
Review: I have read a critique of this book that stated the author was obviously biased towards the person of John Marshall. In a day when few politicians stand for what they believe in, it is easy for one to be cynical. Maybe, just maybe, John Marshall was a man who lived his life in a consistent manner. Jean Edward Smith has written one of the best biographies of this period of US history. It is amazing what impact John Marshall has had on our lives even today.
Rating:
Summary: History at its best
Review: I have read a critique of this book that stated the author was obviously biased towards the person of John Marshall. In a day when few politicians stand for what they believe in, it is easy for one to be cynical. Maybe, just maybe, John Marshall was a man who lived his life in a consistent manner. Jean Edward Smith has written one of the best biographies of this period of US history. It is amazing what impact John Marshall has had on our lives even today.
Rating:
Summary: Better than my constitutional law class.
Review: I pretty much only read biographies. Of all the ones I have read, this is one of the best. I put in the same group as Robert Caro's LBJ books, Edmund Morriss' first biography of Teddy Rooseveldt (2nd wasn't quite as good), the Last Lion series on Churchill, the Manchester bio on MacArthur, and Mcullogh's Truman book. Those are the ones I really enjoyed reading the most. This book is a mix between biography, history, and legal principles. All 3 parts were interesting. In law school, we spent much time studying Marbury v. Madison, but this book really put it in a great perspective, setting up one of the major themes of the book--the debate between Federalists and Republicans, ie Marshall and Jefferson. The Federalist-Republican theme really helped put much of the reading into perspective, explaining Marshall's beleif in a strong central government and his philosophy in deciding the big cases like Marbury, Gibbons, Dartmouth College, Mcullough v. MD, and many others. For me, this was one of those books I felt proud to have read. Marshall played an enormous role in shaping the Court, and I hardly knew a thing about him before this book. The author has a nice smooth style, and packs each sentence with research. I repsect the effort such a book must have taken.
Rating:
Summary: Better than my constitutional law class.
Review: I pretty much only read biographies. Of all the ones I have read, this is one of the best. I put in the same group as Robert Caro's LBJ books, Edmund Morriss' first biography of Teddy Rooseveldt (2nd wasn't quite as good), the Last Lion series on Churchill, the Manchester bio on MacArthur, and Mcullogh's Truman book. Those are the ones I really enjoyed reading the most. This book is a mix between biography, history, and legal principles. All 3 parts were interesting. In law school, we spent much time studying Marbury v. Madison, but this book really put it in a great perspective, setting up one of the major themes of the book--the debate between Federalists and Republicans, ie Marshall and Jefferson. The Federalist-Republican theme really helped put much of the reading into perspective, explaining Marshall's beleif in a strong central government and his philosophy in deciding the big cases like Marbury, Gibbons, Dartmouth College, Mcullough v. MD, and many others. For me, this was one of those books I felt proud to have read. Marshall played an enormous role in shaping the Court, and I hardly knew a thing about him before this book. The author has a nice smooth style, and packs each sentence with research. I repsect the effort such a book must have taken.
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