on to the country, to give it the meaning which it has for us
to-day. Marshall was a Virginian, was just of age at the outbreak of the
Revolution, and served in the American army for five years, enlisting as
a private and rising to the rank of captain. At the close of the war, he
studied law, gained a prominent place in the politics of his state, drew
the attention of Washington by his unusual ability, and in 1800 was
appointed by him secretary of state. A year later he was made chief
justice of the Supreme Court--an appointment little less than inspired
in its wisdom.

For thirty-four years, John Marshall occupied that exalted position,
interpreting to the new country its organic law, and the decisions
handed down by him remain the standard authority on constitutional
questions. In clearness of thought, breadth of view, and strength of
logic they have never been surpassed. His service to his country was of
incalculable value, for he built for the national government a firm,
foundation which has stood unshaken through the years.

* * * * *

So we come to a new era in American history--an era marked by unexampled
bitterness of feeling and culminating in the great struggle for the
preservation of the Union. Across this era, three mighty giants cast
their shadows--Henry Clay and Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun.

Closely and curiously intertwined were the destinies of these three men,
Clay was born in 1777; Webster and Calhoun five years later. Calhoun and
Clay were Irishmen and hated England; Webster was a Scotchman, and
Scotchmen were usually Tories. Calhoun and Clay were southerners, but
with a difference, for Calhoun was born in the very sanctum sanctorum of
the South, South Carolina, while Clay's life was spent in the border
state of Kentucky, so removed from the South that it did not secede from
the Union. Webster was a product of Massachusetts. Calhoun and Webster
were, in temperament and belief, as far apart as the poles; Clay stood
between t

American Men of Action

Notka biograficzna

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