Marshall Court Desions and the Growth of a National Capitalist Economy

        I think one of the major influences that the Marshall Court had in influencing in developing economic growth was the implementation of a Laissez-faire style interpretation of the law. Driven by the idea of scaling back, state power in favor of a more federally driven less restricted free market economy. He would give protection to commerce from states with competing interests. One of the most important cases that would make one of largest impacts on the ability of the government to influence corporations was in the case of Dartmouth College vs. Woodward.        

        This case was specifically important because it established a legal precedent that the Supreme Court would uphold the U.S Constitution. Specifically, Article I Section 10; “This portion states No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility”. In the case of Dartmouth College vs. Woodward, the college would bring to claim that the state of New Hampshire violated their constitutional right by forcefully modifying the schools charter. This falls under what would be come known as the “Contract Clause”. The case was complex in nature because the school was chartered under King George III of England (1769).  The court case took place in (1819). The charter set forth upon establishment of the school was pre-establishment prior to the United States becoming a sovereign nation independent of England. Contractually, the schools charter was in a sense its legal right to operate based on its structure as a private college overseen by its board of trustees. The state of New Hampshire independently modified its charter to try and reestablish it as a public school who would be more under the control of the state. This obviously didn’t resonate well with the board of trustees who were already seated members. This led to the former trustees to seek legal counsel from former New Hampshire Statesman Danial Webster who would file a lawsuit against against William Woodward, the state-appointed trustee, under the new charter. The case would be resolved in what I consider a major legal milestone. Under the Chief Justice John Marshall, the Supreme Court would rule in favor of the original contract set forth prior to the state involvement. The legal precedent set forth by the establishment contractual obligation holding more authority then the state government could overturn was key into the early economic development of the nations national economy.