Joseph Story
Full Name and Common Aliases
Joseph Story was born on September 18, 1779, as Joseph Story Jr., but is commonly known as Justice Joseph Story, or simply Professor Story.
Birth and Death Dates
September 18, 1779 - December 10, 1845
Nationality and Profession(s)
American, Lawyer, Judge, Professor of Law, and Jurist
Early Life and Background
Joseph Story was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to Joseph Story Sr. and his wife Elizabeth (née Greenleaf). His family had a rich maritime history, with his father being a successful merchant captain. Growing up, Story's curiosity and intellectual inclinations were encouraged by his mother, who ensured that he received an excellent education.
Story attended the Boston Latin School before enrolling in Harvard University at the age of 15. He graduated from Harvard at just 17 years old, ranking second in his class. After completing his bachelor's degree, Story pursued a law degree and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1801.
Major Accomplishments
Story's impressive career spanned multiple fields: law, education, and government. As a lawyer, he quickly gained recognition for his exceptional skills in argumentation and advocacy. He argued several high-profile cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark case of _Marshall v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad_ (1853).
Story's tenure as a judge began in 1812 when President James Madison appointed him to the Massachusetts Superior Court. Two years later, President James Monroe nominated him for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, where he served until his appointment to the Supreme Court by President Thomas Jefferson in 1832.
Notable Works or Actions
Story's contributions extend far beyond his courtroom and judicial career. He was a prolific writer, producing several influential books on law and politics:
Commentaries on the Constitution (1833) - This three-volume treatise remains one of Story's most famous works, offering in-depth analysis of the U.S. Constitution.
A Familiar Introduction to the Constitution (1840) - Written for a broader audience, this book aimed to demystify constitutional law and make it accessible to everyday citizens.
Impact and Legacy
Joseph Story played a pivotal role in shaping American jurisprudence during the early 19th century. His commitment to upholding constitutional principles and his dedication to education helped establish Harvard Law School as one of the world's premier institutions for legal studies.
Story's legacy extends beyond the United States, influencing jurists and scholars worldwide with his thought-provoking works on constitutional law and governance. His emphasis on the importance of an educated citizenry continues to inspire contemporary debates on civic engagement and democratic participation.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Joseph Story's enduring impact can be attributed to several factors:
Authoritative voice: As a respected jurist, Story's opinions carried significant weight in shaping American law.
Educational contributions: His influential writings and lectures helped establish Harvard Law School as a hub for legal scholarship.
* Commitment to constitutional principles: Story's unwavering dedication to upholding the U.S. Constitution has left an indelible mark on the nation's judicial history.
Today, Joseph Story remains one of the most quoted American jurists, with his thought-provoking ideas and writings continuing to inspire scholars, lawyers, and citizens alike.
Quotes by Joseph Story
Here shall the Press the People’s right maintain, Unaw’d by influence and unbrib’d by gain; Here patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw, Pledg’d to Religion, Liberty, and Law.
How easily men satisfy themselves that the Constitution is exactly what they wish it to be.
The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic...
Without justice being freely, fully, and impartially administered, neither our persons, nor our rights, nor our property, can be protected. And if these, or either of them, are regulated by no certain laws, and are subject to no certain principles, and are held by no certain tenure, and are redressed, when violated, by no certain remedies, society fails of all its value; and men may as well return to a state of savage and barbarous independence.
The real object of the First Amendment was not to countenance, much less advance Mohammedanism, or Judaism or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity; but ... to prevent any national ecclesiastical establishment which should give to a hierarchy the exclusive patronage of the national government.
In the next place, the state governments are, by the very theory of the constitution, essential constituent parts of the general government. They can exist without the latter, but the latter cannot exist without them.
The truth is, that, even with the most secure tenure of office, during good behavior, the danger is not, that the judges will be too firm in resisting public opinion, and in defence of private rights or public liberties; but, that they will be ready to yield themselves to the passions, and politics, and prejudices of the day.
Constitutions are not designed for metaphysical or logical subtleties, for niceties of expression, for critical propriety, for elaborate shades of meaning, or for the exercise of philosophical acuteness or judicial research. They are instruments of a practical nature, founded on the common business of human life, adapted to common wants, designed for common use, and fitted for common understandings.
One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms.
The promulgation of the great doctrines of religion, the being, and attributes, and providence of one Almighty God: the responsibility to him for all our actions, founded upon moral freedom and accountability; a future state of rewards and punishments; the cultivation of all the personal, social, and benevolent virtues-these these never can be a matter of indifference in any well-ordered community. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive how any civilized society can exist without them.