John 316 Marshall

The word that throws the pallor of death over everything we study about the USA between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. As I have read the biographies of the first Presidents (I'm on #12 now), one issue puts all others in the shade—slavery. Slavocracy defines the era. No law could be passed, no President elected, no infrastructure improvements enacted, without the blessing of the slaveowners' interest. The latter always had enough clout to run the show, until Lincoln was elected. By the way, he won only 42% of the vote when he was elected, barely enough to win the electoral college. Before the Civil War, the northeast usually voted as a bloc, as did the newly opening lands of the west, and as did the southern slave states. The south always had enough clout to throw its weight around politically. They were often the lynchpin that held fragile coalitions together. The tragedy is; slavery mocked our claim of being a land of the free. There were actually slave markets close to th...

God rules in the affairs of men, and decides who will or will not be President. I have to admit, from a finite human perspective, it seems Henry Clay was born and bred to be our President. In reading the biographies of the Presidents, one name keeps recurring in the  leaders of the early 1800s. Henry Clay seemed to be omnipresent. They called him the Great Pacificator (we would say peacemaker). Four times he came up with compromises that held our union together under almost impossible odds. He bought the USA time, enough time to allow the north to become strong enough to end slavery and win the Civil War. His greatest contribution was his profound influence on Abraham Lincoln. The latter said every major political idea he had was based on the teachings of Henry Clay. Lincoln quoted Clay often, and grieved profoundly each time Clay lost the Presidency (thrice) and when Clay died (in 1852). For me, the biggest surprise of his life was how his American System was so bitterly opposed b...

In 1939 Clark Gable was Rhett Butler, Dorothy walked the yellow brick road, and Freeman Cleaves wrote one of the most suspenseful books I have ever read. Huh? Freeman who? His biography of William Henry Harrison is a hold-your-breath can't-put-the-book down thriller. Historians often write in broad strokes. They tell of large movements and trends. Cleave also does this, but at the same time knows when to slow down the action, to recount every second, every breath. His descriptions of the War of 1812 battles defies my ability to explain. He talks about bullets striking flesh and near misses, cannonballs decimating targets, rifles firing, tomahawks and scalping knives destroying. There were actually times when it would have been impossible for me to stop reading, and put the book down. It shows the human side of war, the groans, shouts, and cries of the common soldier on the battlefield. The heroism recounted in the stories is beyond comprehension. The British, native Americans, and ...

My Grandpa Marshall preached against Kennedy in the 1960 election, but then had a sudden change of heart in the voting booth, and voted for JFK. After the vote in 1960, Grandpa returned to his yellow dog Democrat ways. When Nixon made his return, and was elected President in 1968, Grandpa just about went bonkers. Grandpa said terrible things about Nixon. He couldn't seem to talk about the President in normal ways. "Tricky Dick" was a well-known, much used, nickname for Nixon, and Grandpa relished using it. But this was not enough for Grandpa's dislike of Nixon. Grandpa invented a new image of derision. He felt Nixon was pompous, and dubbed him "King Richard". He once told me that he believed Nixon stayed awake at night, practicing in the privacy of his bedroom how to best march to "Hail to the Chief". You must remember, my grandpa was not a raving lunatic. He was an intelligent, very astute, man. He was a gifted Baptist preacher. What was ...

I remember little about Ike. I do recall New Years Eve, December 31, 1959. After our midnight watch service at Illmo (now Scott City) Baptist Church we headed to a local restaurant with other church families. This was a rare event for us. We always went to bed early, but every year our church brought in the new year with a circle of prayer, after which we headed straight home and went to bed. Not so on the last night of the 1950s. That night there were images on the walls of the restaurant commemorating the decade. There was a large picture of Ike, and another of Khrushchev. The latter had a mean, mad snarl on his face. At barely eight years old, all I remember knowing for sure was that the Russian leader was a bad, evil man. That's the sum total of my memories about Eisenhower's Presidency. But what happened in 1960 politics was burned into my psyche. I remember many details of the 1960 Presidential election as if I had been an adult rather than a boy when it happened. I...

Trying to nail down President John Adams' religious beliefs is like trying to hit a moving target. He was literally all over the religious map. I am still fascinated at reading about people whose religious views change dramatically over a lifetime. When I was young, I thought religious change in a person was extremely rare, but now I know better. People often shift in their religious thinking. Time allows many factors to influence individuals toward change. John Adams exemplified religious change. He was raised in the Puritan system, accepting the Bible and the deity of Christ. He claimed to be a devout Christian, and attended church regularly. Adams quickly began shifting. As an adult, he believed in miracles, and still embraced the Bible, but came to believe institutional Christianity was the source of much suffering in the world. In his old age he maintained that religion was essential for society, but eventually rejected the deity of Jesus, and became what could best b...

From the first of the Revolutionary War, the British wanted New York, for it would divide the colonies. Also, it controlled the Hudson River, the main gateway to the north. In July 1776 the British landed at Staten Island, some 30,000 strong. Washington and his troops were outnumbered 3 to 1. By the last week in August, the colonists had been pushed all the way back to Brooklyn, at the western tip of Long Island. Howe's cannons belched relentless death into the trapped army. Washington saw 2,000 of his men die in three days. By August 28, 8,000 Americans, with the East River at their backs, were trying to hold of 20,000 attackers. Victory was in Howe's hand, but he never pressed for it. He went against all military logic, and hesitated. Washington waited, anticipating the inevitable. He believed the war was about to end, but Howe never attacked. By late afternoon Washington finally let himself believe Howe was not coming. Some of the soldiers were calling it a miracle. That nig...

One of the greatest military miracles in USA history happened in March 1776 atop Dorchester Heights above Boston. The British were hemmed in, but the Colonists had too little fire power to attack. Henry Knox, a man whose only knowledge about war was what he had read in books, devised a plan to bring cannons and ammo from Fort Ticonderoga to make the Heights impregnable. The army built the fortifications in one night. General Howe awoke the next morning to a vast array of cannons pointed down at him. His weapons could not fire high enough to reach the fortification. Howe quickly had to hoist a flag of surrender.  Washington had won a bloodless victory. A remarkable deliverance had been wrought, and Washington knew where credit belonged. He referred to the whole incident as "this most remarkable interposition of Providence." He set aside March 7 as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer "to implore the Lord and giver of all victory." Washington wrote the General As...

On July 3, 1775, Washington took command of the colonial troops at Cambridge. They had the British hemmed in at Boston. On the second day of his command the general issued an order forbidding cursing, swearing, and drunkenness. He also required all officers and soldiers not on active duty to be punctual in "attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense."  The men were required to meet twice daily on a grassy plot called the Common. There Rev. Emerson, the army chaplain, led in prayer every morning and evening. It is hard to understand how Washington survived the first nine months of his command. Everything seemed against him. The obstacles to overcome were staggering.  Disease – In late autumn smallpox swept the camp.  Colonial poverty – The troops were supplied by occasional skirmishes and surprise assaults against the British. They also depended on charity from anyone who cared to help.  Congress...

My secular schooling led me to believe Washington was a Deist, a person who believed God created the world, then left it on its own, and no longer had any dealings in human affairs. A Deist rejects the manifestations of divine power in the Bible, does not believe in miracles, and does not accept the idea of God becoming a man. Having now studied my number one patriotic hero for much of my adult life, I have come to the conviction Washington was not a deist. He did often use the Deistic phrase "Divine Providence" when referring to God, but usually used it in a way which implied the very opposite meaning given the phrase by Deists. Washington spoke of Divine Providence as taking an active role, including performing miracles, in human affairs. To him God protected, delivered, gave victory, and was worthy of constant praise and Thanksgiving. It would be stretching evidence too far to say Washington was a conservative, Bible-thumping, born again evangelical. He was an Episco...

This signer of the Declaration was in NYC in 1776 when a mob toppled and shattered a 4000-pound-statue of King George III on a horse. It was made of lead. The King's Head was sent to London as a taunt. Wolcott made practical use of the shattered statue. He gathered up as much of the statue as he could, and had it shipped to his home in Norwich, Conn. The Wolcott family and their neighbors melted the lead, and made 42,088 bullets. Wolcott took the bullets to Saratoga. They were used to help win the battle that turned the tide in the Revolutionary War. That pesky statue continues to be a part of American folklore. Wolcott wasn't the only one snatching souvenirs that day. Pieces of it were never melted down, and have continued to be found as late as 20 years ago. Pieces of the saddle, parts of an arm, saddle straps, and pieces of the horse's tail have been unearthed. Some pieces are still passed on from generation to generation in families. By the way, Wolcott did ...

The men who signed the Declaration pledged their fortunes for the cause if needed. Wm Williams gave money generously to aid the American War effort. He also repeatedly opened his home to soldiers in need. Williams was a minister's son, and served as a deacon in his church for 60 years. He was a Judge for 34 years. He was literally a workaholic on behalf of the common good. His tombstone reads, "A firm, steady, and ardent friend of his country, and in the darkest times risked his life and wealth in her defense." www.john316marshall.com

Though the father of 15 children, Sherman still found ways to serve in several public positions. Yale granted him an honorary degree. John Adams said Sherman was a "good old Puritan". Thomas Jefferson said Sherman "never said a foolish thing in his life". The latter is amazing, for during the Constitutional Convention, he spoke over 100 times. He contributed to our Constitution what is called the "Great Compromise". He suggested the dual legislation system that still characterizes our Congress today. Sherman served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. He is the only person to have signed the Articles of Association, the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. www.john316marshall.com

The oldest of 10 children, Huntington never went to school. He had to work to help support the family. A self-taught, self-made man, he went on to become a lawyer, state Chief Justice, Governor, and first President of the USA (under the Articles of Confederation). He was a religious man, and married a preacher's daughter, a lady of devotion. Her name was Martha Devotion (no kidding). In 2003, the citizens of Norwich, Connecticut, raised $31,000 to exhume the bodies of Samuel and his wife. They now rest In peace in brand new caskets beneath their refurbished tombstone. www.john316marshall.com

Hopkins was the second oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence. Only Ben Franklin was older. Hopkins spent most of his adult life in public service. He was responsible for one of the first antislavery laws in the USA. Hopkins' advanced age shows in his shaky signature. He had a form of palsy. His incessant shaking made it hard for him to write. As he signed the Declaration, he spoke courageously. "My hand trembles, but my heart does not!" www.john316marshall.com

Widowed twice. Lived into his 90s. Had 16 children. He has many direct descendants alive today. Ellery chose to sit where he could see the face of each signer as he signed the Declaration. They all knew it could be their death warrant, but "undaunted resolution was displayed in every countenance." During the War, British soldiers looted and partially burned his house. After the War, Ellery shifted from job to job until President George Washington kindly appointed him customs collector for Newport RI. This post provided him financial stability for 30 years, till he died. www.john316marshall.com

Some of the signers were a royal pain (pardon the pun). Throughout the debates, Paine never offered a positive idea or suggestion, but spoke against most of the ideas and suggestions others made. He was the prosecuting attorney in the trial of the British soldiers who fired into the crowd at the Boston Massacre. It seemed an open-and-shut case against the men. Only one lawyer in Massachusetts was willing to defend them—John Adams—and he won. Though he lost the case, it made Paine famous, and paved the path to his political future. He was descended from a man who signed another important document: the Mayflower Compact. www.john316marshall.com

The most famous signature in our history. When asking someone to sign their name, we say, "Put your John Hancock here." Yes, he did say King George would not need spectacles to read his name. His preacher-dad died when John was seven. The lad, raised by his rich uncle, was a millionaire by thirty. He once traveled to England, and attended the coronation of—you guessed it—King George III. He attended Boston Latin School, the oldest continuous operating public school in the USA, and graduated from Harvard. When Paul Revere found Hancock and Sam Adams in Lexington, they were staying in the parsonage that had belonged to Hancock's grandfather. He was extremely generous, always caring for the needy. He was also quite vain, a showman whose love for flair even extended to his signature. www.john316marshall.com

This guy could not get along with anybody. He had a difficult personality at best. The thing he had going for him was wealth. After signing the Declaration, he went on to become Governor of Massachusetts. He backed a plan to redraw voting districts to favor his party. The practice continues today, and is still known as gerrymandering. Gerry died while serving as Vice President under James Madison. He is buried in Washington DC with these words on his tomb: "It is the duty of every citizen, though he may have but one day to live, to devote that day to the good of his country." www.john316marshall.com

"Father of the American Revolution." Organizer of the anti-British group, Sons of Liberty. Founder of the Committees on Correspondence, the communicating voice of the Patriots throughout the 13 colonies. Boston Tea Party. Always in debt. On the King's hit list, along with his wealthy friend John Hancock. The two escaped capture due to being warned by Paul Revere on his famous ride. Buried in the USA's third-oldest Cemetery. I have never read a biography of Samuel Adams. I need to do so. www.john316marshall.com