The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero by Peter Canellos

The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero by Peter Canellos
Public Media Market is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!

BUY Amazon | Bookshop

Featured on The Thread: The Supreme Court Justice who made history by voting no on racial segregation

They say that history is written by the victors. But not in the case of the most famous dissenter on the Supreme Court. Almost a century after his death, it was John Marshall Harlan’s words that helped end segregation, and gave us our civil rights and our modern economic freedom.

But his legacy would not have been possible without the courage of Robert Harlan, a slave who John’s father raised like a son in the same household. After the Civil War, Robert emerges as a political leader. With Black people holding power in the Republican Party, it is Robert who helps John land his appointment to the Supreme Court.

Categories