Monday Night Philosophy rediscovers the influential precedents set by Chief Justice John Marshall. No member of America's founding generation had a greater impact on the Constitution and the Supreme Court than Marshall, and no one did more to preserve the delicate unity of the fledgling United States.

From our nation's founding in 1776, and for the next 40 years, Marshall was at the center of every political battle. As chief justice of the United States Supreme Court—the longest-serving in history—he established the independence of the judiciary and the supremacy of the Constitution and the federal courts. As the leading Federalist in Virginia, he rivaled his cousin Thomas Jefferson in influence. As a diplomat and secretary of state, he defended American sovereignty against France and Britain, counseled President John Adams, and supervised the construction of Washington, D.C.

This is the story of how a rough-cut frontiersman with little formal education became one of the nation's preeminent lawyers and politicians and, with cunning, imagination and grace, shaped America's future.