Providence, RI  -- Four Providence College students will join Rev. Jon Alexander, O.P., Ph.D., associate professor of history; and RI Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams for a research presentation at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians (OAH) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

The students, all previously enrolled in an undergraduate seminar led by Father Alexander, Readings in United States Legal History, will examine the American views of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall. Their panel presentation is entitled, A Revolution in American Views of Chief Justice John Marshall: An Experiment in Teaching Historical Research to Undergraduates.

Appointed Chief Justice by President John Adams in 1801, Marshall's 34-year term is the longest served by any Chief Justice. During his tenure, Marshall helped establish the Supreme Court as the final authority on the Constitution. The students' research was designed to illustrate the various American views of Marshall and his decisions from the time of his appointment to about 1920. Students will present papers examining the views of Marshall by his contemporaries, selected Whigs, Confederates, Republicans and late 19th century and progressive writers.

Father Alexander worked with the students to develop a scheme of classifying the views discovered; for example, views of Marshall as a diplomat, historian, Virginian, revolutionary patriot or as a jurist. A simple method of evaluating the views presented in the various classifications also was developed. The project taught students basic skills in finding, classifying and evaluating historical evidence.

Chief Justice Williams, widely recognized for his expertise in the study of President Abraham Lincoln, will preside over the panel presentations and provide commentary. Historians from Wesleyan University and Western New Mexico University also will comment on the research presentations as panelists.

Founded in 1907, the OAH is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. Its 11,000 members in the United States and abroad include college and university professors, students, precollegiate teachers, archivists, museum curators and other public historians, a variety of scholars employed in the government and private sector, and institutional subscribers such as libraries, museums and historical societies. The 2004 annual meeting, which runs from March 25-28, will bring together over 2,000 members and guests, more than 100 exhibitors and hundreds of participants in over 100 sessions.

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