Ben Franklin's world is a production of the

O'Mohandro Institute.

Ever wonder how the Supreme Court really became supreme?

The decisions of Chief Justice John Marshall in the early 19th century

did much to strengthen the judicial branch of government in the United States and to define the three-branch arrangement that is so basic to the American system of government.

And as we learned in episodes 210 and 211, if John Adams had not

nominated John Marshall to the Supreme Court in 1801, we live in a very different

America today. The John Marshall Foundation, located in Richmond, Virginia, was founded

in 1987 by a group of dedicated lawyers and corporate leaders, the Virginia Bar Association,

and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities so that we could learn more about this great Chief Justice.

Go to their website, John Marshall Foundation.org, to learn more about his landmark court decisions, his many other civic contributions,

and his family life enrichment.

Teachers and lifelong learners like us

will find a wealth of resources on that website,

including articles, books, videos, and other materials for classroom use. on that

website including articles, books, videos, and other materials for classroom use.

To learn more, visit John Marshall Foundation.org

around the time I was 72 years old I told the story of my escape to Reverend T. H. Adams.

He wrote it up and had it submitted to the Granite Freeman newspaper in Concord, New Hampshire.

On May 22, 1845, my story was printed.

There is now living on the borders of the town of Greenland, New Hampshire, a runaway slave

of Martha Washington, at present supported by the county of Rockingham.

...