John Marshall Quotes
I yield ... to the conviction that our Constitution cannot last. The Union has been prolonged thus far by miracles ... they cannot continue.
John Marshall, 1755-1835, Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court, U. S. Congressman (Federalist, VA), U. S. Secretary of War, U. S. Secretary of State, Writing shortly before his death, Quoted on PBS The Supreme Court: One Nation Under Law, January 31, 2007
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Jackson was reacting to the claimed right of South Carolina to nullify Federal tariffs and other Federal laws.
The argument was Prohibition, the 18th Amendment.
Note Jenner’s paranoia of an “invisible government”. In the 20th century there were several left wing and right wing conspiracy theories held by the party extremists. This was one of the right wing conspiracy theories. There have been individual members of the US Government—appointees and Civil Servants--, who have been spies and extremists who did not believe in the Constitution. Some of these have been covert and others overt as in the George W, Bush administration where there were a few officials who believed that officials could torture when it was against the law. At no point were these many and in most cases—especially with spies—they never knew each other or communicated. They certainly never could be reasonably be called an “invisible government.” However some extreme leftists have believed that there was a cabal of wealthy men—right wing extremists--who operated such an invisible government. Likewise, there were rightist politicians who believed erroneously that there was such an invisible government implementing Communistic policies. From the 1930s through the 21st century, there were some racists—usually Southerners—who saw all government officials who supported racial equality and integration as Communists and anti-Constitutionalists forming a secret government to racially integrate the country. Those officials were generally not invisible at all, and it was their overt support for an end to racism that made them “subversive.”
The comment was prompted by FDR’s attempt to “pack” the Supreme Court.
Patrick Henry, a political opponent of Madison's, spread rumors in Madison's Virginia home district that Madison was perfectly satisfied with the Constitution as it was drafted. Madison felt the need to set the record straight, and this letter was widely circulated by his friends.
John Marshall was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 to 1835. Marshall remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longest serving justice in Supreme Court history, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential justices to ever sit on the Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Supreme Court (and for one month simultaneous to his tenure as Chief Justice), Marshall served as the United States Secretary of State under President John Adams.
