Meika Downey
John Marshall at Home: What Made the Man Who Made the Supreme Court?
When remembered at all, John Marshall (1755-1835) is best noted as the fourth and longest-serving Supreme Court Chief Justice of the United States, on the bench from 1801 to 1835. Though Marshall is acknowledged as the man who made the Supreme Court–instrumental in elevating the Court’s power and authority, as shaped in the 1803 decision, Marbury v. Madison–this presentation from Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House located in Richmond, Virginia, will explore all of who the Great Chief Justice was on and off the bench. Like all of us, John Marshall possessed many varied, and often competing identities, such as son, scholar, soldier, lawyer, husband, father, enslaver, Madeira enthusiast, and Chief Justice. This program, “John Marshall at Home,” embraces all of the man was and places Marshall, his residence, and lifestyle into the landscape of Early Republic urban Richmond.
Meika Downey, MA, serves as the statewide Education Manager for Preservation Virginia’s five early American historic sites across the Commonwealth (preservationvirginia.org). In managing all student and adult education for Preservation Virginia, Meika prioritizes inclusive history, sensory-learning, and amplifying diverse voices in primary sources and material culture. She earned her BA in history and political science from Hollins University and her MA in history and public history from Virginia Commonwealth University. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.