John Marshall wrote that slavery “is contrary to the law of nature,” yet over the course of his adult life, he enslaved hundreds of men, women, and children. They labored at his properties in Richmond and in the counties of Henrico, Charles City, and Fauquier. Marshall grew up in a slaveholding household and, in 1783, acquired his first slave, Robin Spurlock, a butler close in age to his own, as a wedding gift from his father. At the time of Marshall’s death in 1835, he held nearly 200 individuals in bondage.
In 1823, Marshall became the first president of the Richmond branch of the American Colonization Society, an agency dedicated to sending free Black people to the West African colony of Liberia. In his will, Marshall offered Spurlock emancipation and either $100 if he opted to move there or $50 if he chose to remain in the U.S. Marshall’s will also contained a provision for Spurlock to choose a new “owner” from among Marshall’s children. Close to 80 at the time, Spurlock stayed in Richmond, and was held in trust for Marshall’s daughter, Mary Harvie. Marshall also bequeathed his properties—including “those who labored” on them—to other heirs.
The Marshall Court was the first to preside over a steady docket of “freedom” cases, hearing more than 30 disputes involving the business of slavery, the claims of freedom seekers, and the legality of the slave trade.