1. The Marshall Court, 1801-1835
• John Marshall believed that the United States would be best served by concentrating power in a strong central government.
• Under Chief Justice John Marshall, Supreme Court decisions tended to promote business enterprise.
• Under John Marshall's leadership, the Supreme Court upheld the supremacy of federal legislation over state legislation.
2. Marbury v. Madison, 1803
• The case established the principle of judicial review.
• judicial review gave the Supreme Court the authority to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
• Marbury v. Madison was one of a series of landmark decisions by Chief Justice John Marshall that strengthened the federal government.
3. Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 1819
• The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution protected contracts from state encroachments.
• The ruling safeguarded business enterprise from interference by state governments.
4. Worcester v. Georgia, 1831
• The Supreme Court upheld the rights of the Cherokee tribe.
• President Jackson refused to recognize the Court's decision. He said "John Marshall has made his decision: now let him enforce it.
• Because of Jackson's refusal to enforce the Supreme Court decision, the case was followed by the removal of the Cherokees from Georgia.
TEST TIP
APUSH test writers expect you to be able to identify the Marshall Court and its key decisions. Remember, John Marshall was a judicial nationalist who opposed states' rights.
5. Dred Scott v. Sanford, 1857
• African Americans were not citizens and therefore could not petition the Court.
• Slaves could not be taken from their masters, regardless of a territory's "free" or "slave" status.
• The case was a major issue during the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
• The judge ruled that national legislation could not limit the spread of slavery in the territories.
• The Dred Scott decision invalidated the Northwest Ordinance and the 36° 30' line in the Missouri Compromise.
• Here is a quote from the Dred Scott v. Sanford case:
"... the descendants of Africans who were imported into this country, and sold as slaves ... are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word 'citizens' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States."
• The Fourteenth Amendment invalidated the Dred Scott decision.
6. The 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases and the 1883 Civil Rights Cases
• Both cases narrowed the meaning and effectiveness of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Both cases weakened the protection given to African Americans under the Fourteenth Amendment.
7. Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896
• The case involved a dispute over the legality of segregated railroad cars in Louisiana.
• It upheld segregation by approving "separate but equal" accommodations for African Americans.
• It sanctioned "separate but equal" public facilities for African Americans.
8. Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Cases
• Supreme Court decisions strengthened the position of big business.
9. Sacco and Vanzetti Trial, 1920s
• The trial illustrated the widespread fear of radicals and recent immigrants.
10. The John T. Scopes Trial, 1925
• The immediate issue was the legality of a Tennessee law prohibiting the teaching of the theory of evolution in the state's public schools.
• John T. Scopes was a Tennessee high school biology teacher, indicted for teaching evolution.
• The John T. Scopes trial illustrates the cultural conflict in the 1920s between fundamentalism and modernism.
11. Korematsu v. United States, 1944
• In early 1942, Japanese Americans living on the West Coast of the United States were forced from their homes into detention camps on the grounds that they were a potential threat to the security of the United States.
• The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the relocation as a wartime necessity. Constitutional scholars now view the relocation as a flagrant violation of civil liberties.
12. The Warren Court, 1953-1969
• During a period of intense judicial activism, the Court used its power to promote social programs.
• The Warren Court reached notable and controversial decisions that established rights for those accused of crimes.
13. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954
• The ruling reversed the principle of "separate but equal" established in Plessy v. Ferguson.
• It declared racially segregated public schools inherently unequal.
• It declared that public school segregation is a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Remember, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizens "equal protection of the laws." The Fourteenth Amendment is a key tool used by civil rights groups to overturn segregation.
• This was the most important Supreme Court decision in the decade following World War II. It had widespread consequences for the rights of minority groups.
TEST TIP
The Dred Scott Case, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka form a triumvirate of key civil rights cases. You can expect to see one or two of these cases on every APUSH exam. Be sure to study the key points about each case.
14. Baker v. Carr, 1962
• The case established the principle of "one man, one vote.
• The Supreme Court required the reapportionment of districts for some state legislatures.
15. Criswold v. Connecticut, 1965
• The Supreme Court struck down a state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives.
• The Court proclaimed a "right to privacy" that soon provided the basis for decisions protecting women's abortion rights.
16. Miranda v. Arizona, 1966
• Controversial Warren Court decision establishing a defendant's "Miranda Rights. "
• The Court ruled that no confession could be admissible unless a suspect had been made aware of his or her rights and the suspect had then waived them.
17. Roe v. Wade, 1973
• The U.S. Supreme Court upheld abortion rights for women.
• The Court based its decision, in part, on the right to privacy established in Griswold v. Connecticut.