• John Marshall

  • The Chief Justice Who Saved the Nation
  • By: Harlow Giles Unger
  • Narrated by: Robert Fass
  • Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (496 ratings)

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John Marshall

By: Harlow Giles Unger
Narrated by: Robert Fass
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Publisher's summary

A soul-stirring biography of John Marshall, the young Republic's great chief justice who led the Supreme Court to power and brought law and order to the nation.

In the political turmoil that convulsed America after George Washington's death, the surviving Founding Fathers went mad - literally pummeling each other in Congress and challenging one another to deadly duels in their quest for power. Out of the political intrigue, one man emerged to restore calm and dignity to the government: John Marshall. The longest-serving chief justice in American history, Marshall transformed the Supreme Court from an irrelevant appeals court into the powerful and controversial branch of government that Americans today either revere or despise.

Drawing on rare documents, Harlow Giles Unger shows how, with nine key decisions, Marshall rewrote the Constitution, reshaped government, and prevented Thomas Jefferson from turning tyrant. John Adamscalled his appointment of Marshall to chief justice his greatest gift to the nation and "the pride of my life".

©2014 Harlow Giles Unger (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about John Marshall

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the life and times of John Marshall

the book was good but it's more a book of the life and time of John Marshall. less than half the book talks about his time on the supreme court. very little of which is focused on the major cases he heard. rather the book is mostly about the founding of America and her earlier wars. while Marshall was a part of this he was not directly involved in much of what happens in the book. if your interested in his time on the bench this isn't the book for you.

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12 people found this helpful

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History Alive

Riveting , and fast moving account of history, that one is not able to set down book until finished reading it.

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8 people found this helpful

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John Marshall

A few years ago I visited John Marshall’s home in Richmond Va. I must admit I knew very little about his importance in American History and his relationship to the founding fathers. The Union was in danger of splitting from the outset and John Marshall helped keep it together. I loved this book.

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6 people found this helpful

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Author sounds biased

I don't know how of the history expressed is accurate or not, but the language and tone of the book seen less scholarly than someone like McCullough. As a result, I'm questioning the veracity of the story in a way I've not done for over 200 other audio books.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

A decent bio burdened with overwrought language.

A decent bio burdened with overwrought language and lackluater analysis.

Unger's 2014 bio of John Marshall does an admirable job of humanizing a figure most Americans know only for his aloof position as the longest serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the opinions attributed him and the Court. Unger doestn ignore this (how could he?) but devotes a substsntial amount of his time to Marshall's time as a Revolutionary War Soldier, prominent Virginia politician, and father/husband.

While the book excels there, it falters in describing the political world Marshall was a part of. It's no secret that the early years of the America were filled with "heated" rhetoric. You couldn't turn your head without somebody accusing somebody else of being a monarchies, francophile, or doing something that would lead to dissolution of the union and civil war.

While that rhetoric was and has always been a part of the fabric of American political discourse, Unger seems to rely solely on the most heated excerpts from speeches/letters at every turn.

The effect of this is Unger describing darn near everything as a potential or actual "coup d'etat" - the phrase appears SEVERAL times. While Unger seems to mean this as various branches of govt and individuals asserting powers not clearly granted them under the Constitution (a very interesting topic by itself as the nation struggled with itself as to what this new controlling document meant), he never really analyzes it from that perspective.

Instead, it's selective overheated quotations that only the calm and measured Marshall can navigate and prevent conflict/civil war. This is the other major fault with Unger's work, he has a strong tendency to become far too enamored with his subject and drift into hagiography.

Overall, the heated rhetoric without adequate analysis makes for some fun reading but keeps this bio from becoming more than an enjoyable pulp diversion.

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invaluable information!

I loved this book. I didn't know a lot about John Marshall before I began to listen to this book, but I grew in my appreciation for his Solomon-like wisdom and the contribution he made to the formation of our country. I especially enjoyed the background to the early events of our country's history and the details of relationships between the founding fathers that I didn't know before. This was a truly enjoyable story that everyone should hear. This is the second book I've read by Harlow Unger, but it certainly won't be the last!

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Sufficiently detailed and very interesting

Very interesting look at an incredible American. Pretty amazing the impact just one man can have. Not a very flattering look at Thomas Jefferson though.

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Thank Goodness for John Marshall

H.G Unger has given John Marshall the light he so well deserves. Marshall was a devoted husband and father, a lawyer, a Revolutionary War hero, a diplomat and among the founders of the country. AND THAT was only during the first half of his life. That last 35 years was spent inventing how the Supreme Court should and would function in a democracy with three equal branches of government.

Few know how disruptive and contrary Thomas Jefferson was toward the federal judiciary. He did all he could (mostly duplicitously) to marginalize it and even eliminate it. Imagine. Had it not been for Marshall, Jefferson may have succeeded.

This book is the story of John Marshall, who he was and how he became such a force in American history. It's well written with excellent details, lots of characters and some thrilling exposés. The performance is excellent. For the American history buff, a must..

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engaging but not sold on all his facts

performance was great but makes Jefferson out to be a major viilian of early republic

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Good Bio of Marshall, If a Bit Biased

As someone with an interest in this key Chief Justice but not much detailed knowledge going in, I found this in many ways a good and highly detailed study of the man. His family background, Revolutionary War service, long but often painful marriage (due to her frequent illnesses and many lost pregnancies and young children) all receive good coverage that place Marshall's life in context. The author paints a heroic picture of the man, which is rarely critical, but has some very harsh words for Thomas Jefferson (his early presidential antagonist) and quite a few for Alexander Hamilton and is full of praise for Aaron Burr. Nothing seems fabricated but Unger can be pretty selective of how these supporting characters as presented. While engaging, I would recommend (as with all histories and biographies) wider reading before the reader makes up their mind about such complex figures. Thus, I would recommend this as a good start, but not the final word on Marshall's career, impact, and relations with others in the Revolutionary generation. Still, Unger's writing style is usually interesting, effective and enjoyable when teamed up with Fass' reading style.

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