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377:, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States. Most of the delegates at the convention ignored Martin's warnings. In April 1788, the majority of the delegates voted to ratify the Constitution, making Maryland the seventh state to do so. In June, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, the required threshold had been reached, and the new Constitution took effect. Three years later, the first 10 amendments were added.
476:) on Christmas Day 1783. Of their five children, three daughters lived to adulthood. An extended display of his eloquence and volubility appears in "Modern Gratitude in Five Numbers: Addressed to Richard Raynall Keene, Esq. Concerning a Family Marriage" (1802)—a closely documented, fiercely argued (and partly autobiographical) denunciation of a former protégé who, against Martin's express wishes, had wooed and married Martin's daughter Eleonora.
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condemned what he saw as unequal representation in
Congress. He owned six slaves of his own, but he opposed including slaves in determining representation (most slave owners supported counting slaves for the purposes of determining representation because this would increase the power of Slave States), and he believed that the absence of a jury in the
336:, he assailed the Constitutional Convention for what it was attempting to do and for how it was going about the job. He broke the pledge to secrecy under which the convention had met and informed the Maryland legislators that the convention had violated its instructions to meet "for the sole and express purpose of revising" the
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Martin believed the legislative branch should be unicameral, proposed limiting the standing army during peacetime, and argued that the
Convention had exceeded its powers by creating a national government when they were sent to Philadelphia "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of
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Martin's fortunes declined dramatically in his last years. Alcoholism, illness, and poverty weighed heavily on Martin, taking their toll as he aged. By the mid-1820s, he was subsisting on a special tax imposed on
Maryland lawyers solely for his personal support. Eventually, he was taken in by Burr.
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In an address to the
Maryland House of Delegates in November 1787 and in numerous newspaper articles, Martin attacked the proposed new form of government and continued to fight ratification of the Constitution through 1788. He lamented the ascension of the national government over the states and
308:, walked out of the convention on September 3, 1787. He was one of the most vocal opponents of slavery at the Constitutional Convention, denouncing it as "an odious bargain with sin" that was "inconsistent with the principles of the revolution and dishonorable to the American character."
300:, where he supported the case for equal numbers of delegates in at least one house. Before the convention closed, he became convinced that the new government would have too much power over state governments and would threaten individual rights. Failing to find any support for a
277:. When he arrived on June 9, 1787, he expressed suspicion of the secrecy rule imposed on the proceedings. He also opposed the creation of a government in which the large states would dominate the small ones, he consistently sided with the small states, helping to formulate the
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He was known for his warm opposition to the development of a strong central government. He was known for his ability to talk and as stated by
William Pierce "he was educated for the Bar... and he never speaks without tiring the patience of all who hear him."
825:
Confounding Father: A Contrarian View of the U.S. Constitution (2020): Educational documentary series highlighting Martin's criticisms of the 1787 Constitution. Luther Martin is the "Confounding father" of the title.
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gravely endangered freedom. At the convention, Martin complained, the aggrandizement of particular states and individuals often had been pursued more avidly than the welfare of the country. The assumption of the term
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had backed the change of direction of the convention, but, Martin said, we should not "suffer our eyes to be so far dazzled by the splendor of names, as to run blindfolded into what may be our destruction."
340:. Instead, convention delegates had taken it upon themselves to make a fresh start by creating an entirely new system of government. To Martin, such an effort was akin to launching a
627:
Larson, Edward J.; Winship, Michael P. (2005). The
Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison. New York: The Modern Library. ISBN 0-8129-7517-0.
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for the City and County of
Baltimore. He was reappointed attorney general of Maryland in 1818, and, in 1819, he argued Maryland's position in the landmark Supreme Court case
386:
285:. On June 27, Martin spoke for more than three hours in opposition to the Virginia Plan's proposal for proportionate representation in both houses of the legislature.
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In the beginning of the 19th century, Martin was defense counsel in two controversial national cases. In the first case, Martin won an acquittal for his close friend
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After a record 28 consecutive years as state attorney general, Martin resigned in
December 1805. In 1813, he became chief judge of the court of
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269:, but his numerous public and private duties prevented him from traveling to Philadelphia. Martin was elected as a delegate to the
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and was buried in an unmarked grave in St. John's churchyard. His death came six days after the deaths on July 4 of
Jefferson and
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in 1787, but did not sign the
Constitution, having left the convention early because he felt the document as proposed violated
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Maryland Manual 1914–1915: A Compendium of Legal, Historical and Statistical Information relating to the State of Maryland
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Ellis, Joseph J., "Founding Brothers, the Revolutionary Generation", first Vintage Books edition, 2002, p. 92.
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515:"Modern Gratitude, in Five Numbers: Addressed to Richard Raynal Keene, Esq. Concerning a Family Marriage"
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delegates in the U.S. National Archives 1936 Faulkner Mural, located in the building's rotunda above the
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Modern Gratitude, in Five Numbers: Addressed to Richard Raynal Keene, Esq. Concerning a Family Marriage
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Luther Martin, Impeachment Trial of Justice Samuel Chase, Senate, 23 Feb. 1804, Annals 14:429–32, 436
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National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 2015
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245:, he served on the county's patriot committee and in December attended a convention of the
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445:, which had struck in 1819, forced him to retire as Maryland's attorney general in 1822.
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The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison
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Martin's role in the Constitution struggle may be traced in Max Farrand, ed.,
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Luther Martin, Friday, March 28, 1788, Number III, To the Citizens of Maryland
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751:. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 794–795.
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Papenfuse, Edward C.; Day, Alan F.; Jordan, David W.; Stiverson, Gregory A.
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in Annapolis, which had been called to consider the recommendations of the
218:
441:, in apparent repudiation of everything he had argued for so strenuously.
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Reynolds, William L., "Luther Martin, Maryland and the Constitution", 47
502:. Vol. 2: I-Z. The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 577–578.
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704:"The Constitution of the United States: America's Founding Fathers."
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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On July 10, 1826, at the age of 78, Martin died in Burr's home in
197:, politician, lawyer, and slave owner. Martin was a delegate from
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401:
16:
American Founding Father, politician, Anti-Federalist (1748-1826)
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A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789
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635:
Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Luther Martin
710:"Delegates to the Constitutional Convention: Luther Martin."
437:, his one-time decentralist ally, led Martin to embrace the
209:. In the months following the convention, he was a leading
718:
Founding Father, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Luther Martin
492:
221:, whose collective efforts led to the passage of the
608:. New York: The Modern Library. ISBN 0-8129-7517-0.
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
604:3 Larson, Edward J.; Winship, Michael P. (2005).
544:Lepore, Jill (October 28, 2019). "You're Fired".
472:Martin married Maria Cresap (daughter of Captain
834:
296:Martin served on the committee formed to seek a
697:The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
400:'s defense lawyers when Burr stood trial for
256:
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241:. In the fall of 1774, as a resident of
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
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304:, Martin and another Maryland delegate,
561:Secretary of State of Maryland (1915).
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898:Founding Fathers of the United States
858:People from Somerset County, Maryland
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417:. The plaintiffs were represented by
396:. Two years later, Martin was one of
332:In November 1787, in a speech to the
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699:(4 vols., 1911–1937; rev. ed. 1966).
580:Martin, Luther (25 September 2018).
513:Martin, Luther (25 September 2018).
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191:Founding Father of the United States
54:adding citations to reliable sources
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893:Patriots in the American Revolution
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373:Martin served as a delegate to the
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853:People from Piscataway, New Jersey
681:Paul Clarkson and R. Samuel Jett,
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595:Modern Gratitude, in Five Numbers.
370:government also irritated Martin.
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639:Intercollegiate Studies Institute
375:Maryland State Convention of 1788
271:Constitutional Convention of 1787
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233:Martin was an early advocate of
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19:For the Christian reformer, see
888:People from colonial New Jersey
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261:In 1785, he was elected to the
41:needs additional citations for
654:"Bookshelf: Uncouth, Unheeded"
593:– via Internet Archive.
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661:, September 22, 2008, p. A21.
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457:Coat of Arms of Luther Martin
433:By this time, detestation of
394:his impeachment trial in 1805
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801:Attorney General of Maryland
774:Attorney General of Maryland
569:: The Advertiser-Republican.
298:compromise on representation
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848:Princeton University alumni
334:Maryland House of Delegates
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843:Maryland attorneys general
828:Confounding Father webpage
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683:Luther Martin of Maryland
524:– via Google Books.
366:" by those who favored a
338:Articles of Confederation
322:Constitutional Convention
267:Maryland General Assembly
257:Constitutional convention
243:Somerset County, Maryland
203:Constitutional Convention
183:New Brunswick, New Jersey
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144:Portrait of Luther Martin
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567:Annapolis, Maryland, USA
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748:Encyclopædia Britannica
658:The Wall Street Journal
281:and voting against the
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263:Confederation Congress
883:American slave owners
692:(4 vols., 1916–1919).
690:Life of John Marshall
688:Albert J. Beveridge,
652:Crawford, Alan Pell,
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414:McCulloch v. Maryland
387:Supreme Court Justice
319:
235:American independence
181:(February 20, 1748,
878:Maryland Federalists
637:. Wilmington, DE:
251:Continental Congress
247:Province of Maryland
50:improve this article
811:Thomas Beale Dorsey
666:Maryland Law Review
326:Charters of Freedom
306:John Francis Mercer
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359:U.S. Supreme Court
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312:Ratification fight
187:New York, New York
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808:Succeeded by
781:Succeeded by
647:978-1-933859-73-6
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409:oyer and terminer
350:Benjamin Franklin
346:George Washington
320:Martin among the
195:U.S. Constitution
185:– July 10, 1826,
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48:Please help
43:verification
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868:1826 deaths
863:1748 births
668:291 (1988).
342:coup d'état
837:Categories
805:1818–1822
778:1778–1805
612:References
467:John Adams
398:Aaron Burr
229:Early life
156:1748-02-20
76:newspapers
443:Paralysis
404:in 1807.
106:June 2022
641:, 2008;
368:national
199:Maryland
189:) was a
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402:treason
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