Aggressive Nationalism

This book provides a new interpretation and examination of the public debate that took place over Chief Justice John Marshall's famous opinion in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819). Long recognized as one of the most significant decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States, this case dealt with the ever-present and divisive problem of federal-state relations. Ellis sheds new light on how the case came before the Supreme Court, looks at many of the key issues that Marshall either slighted or totally ignored, and surveys the reaction among the States to the decision. While social, political, and economic changes since the Civil War transformed this case into one of the most influential decisions of the Court, Ellis convincingly demonstrates that the case had little impact in Marshall's day, and thus places this great case and the reaction to it in its proper historical context.