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Title: What Kind of Nation

Subtitle: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and the Epic Struggle to Create a United States

Author: James F. Simon

Narrator: Patrick Cullen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-24-17

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The bitter and protracted struggle between President Thomas Jefferson and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall defined the basic constitutional relationship between the executive and judicial branches of government. More than 150 years later, their clashes still reverberate in constitutional debates and political battles.

In this dramatic and fully accessible account of these titans of the early republic and their fiercely held ideas, James F. Simon brings to life the early history of the nation and sheds new light on the highly charged battle to balance the powers of the federal government and the rights of the states. A fascinating look at two of the nation's greatest statesmen and shrewdest politicians, What Kind of Nation presents a cogent, unbiased assessment of their lasting impact on American government.

National Review's 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Century.

Members Reviews:

Marshall's Triumph

As I set out to review What Kind of Nation by James Simon, I skimmed through the 34 previous reviews to see what thoughts I could offer that had not already been covered. The current top review, by R. Albin, is excellent, although I give the book a higher rating. It even turned out that I had followed his/her closing advice and used Simon's book as a point of departure in my readings on John Marshall. Two other books on Marshall, which I have recently reviewed, are:

* Jean Edward Smith's John Marshall - Definer of a Nation. Readers seeking a thorough description of Marshall's life would probably be well served by reading this longer work which provides a detailed biography of Marshall's life outside the court as well as a solid description of the court's operations and decisions during his tenure as chief justice.

* The Great Chief Justice by Charles Hobson is a biography of John Marshall focused almost exclusively on Marshall's judicial philosophy and decisions. It also provides a good description of the evolution of the American legal system that influenced the development of Marshall judicial philosophy early in his career and then was shaped by the decisions of the Supreme Court under his leadership. However, it is not light reading - I found myself referring to Black's Law Dictionary every few pages.

Back to James Simon's What Kind of Nation. It's a dual biography of Marshall and Jefferson and focuses on the conflict between them regarding the relative powers of the state and federal governments. Marshall and Jefferson shared a mutual antipathy that continued until the latter's death in 1826. Their differences included strong and conflicting political beliefs, but there was a strong personal animosity on both sides as well. I find this a bit strange since Marshall appears to have been a generally affable individual with many friends and few enemies other than Jefferson. Marshall was on friendly terms with Jefferson's Republican successors, Madison and Monroe, but never with Jefferson. Following the election of 1800, the lame duck Federalist House of Representatives tried to prevent Jefferson's election to the presidency.