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The Great John Marshall, Part 2

Next we examine Marshall’s service as envoy to the French government during the infamous XYZ affair and his short tenures in Congress and as secretary of state.
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The Great John Marshall, Part 2
Portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart, 1810–1815. Public domain
Rob Natelson
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Commentary
The previous installment in this series described Chief Justice John Marshall’s early life and his contributions to the ratification of the Constitution. This Part 2 examines his continuing career: his service as envoy to the French government during the infamous XYZ affair and his short tenures in Congress and as secretary of state.
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Rob Natelson
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor, is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Mountain States Policy Center and the Independence Institute. He authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025) and is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”