E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Charlie Kirschner,

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LORD'S LECTURES

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BEACON LIGHTS OF HISTORY.

BY JOHN LORD, LL.D.

VOLUME XI.

AMERICAN FOUNDERS.

PUBLISHERS' PREFACE.

Dr. Lord's volume on "American Statesmen" was written some years afterthe issue of his volume on "Warriors and Statesmen," which was Volume IVof his original series of five volumes. The wide popular acceptance ofthe five volumes encouraged him to extend the series by including, andrewriting for the purpose, others of his great range of lectures. Thevolume called "Warriors and Statesmen" (now otherwise distributed)included a number of lectures which in this new edition have beenarranged in more natural grouping. Among them were the lectures onHamilton and Webster. It has been deemed wise to bring these into closerrelation with their contemporaries, and thus Hamilton is now placed inthis volume, among the other "American Founders," and Webster in thevolume on "American Leaders."

Of the "Founders" there is one of whom Dr. Lord did not treat, yet whoseservices--especially in the popular confirmation of the Constitution bythe various States, and notably in its fundamental interpretation by theUnited States Supreme Court--rank as vitally important. John Marshall,as Chief Justice of that Court, raised it to a lofty height in thejudicial world, and by his various decisions established theConstitution in its unique position as applicable to all manner ofpolitical and commercial questions--the world's marvel of combinedfirmness and elasticity. To quote Winthrop, as cited by Dr. Lord, it is"like one of those rocking-stones reared by the Druids, which the fingerof a child may vibrate to its centre, yet which the might of an armycannot move from its place."

So important was Marshall's work, and so potent is the influence of theUnited States Supreme Court, that no apology is needed for introducinginto this volume on our "Founders" a chapter dealing with that greattheme by Professor John Bassett Moore, recently Assistant Secretary ofState; later, Counsel for the Peace Commission at Paris; and nowoccupying the chair of International Law and Diplomacy in the School ofPolitical Science, Columbia University, New York City.

NEW YORK, September, 1902.

CONTENTS.

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

THE AMERICAN IDEA.