SAT History

Supreme Court Case Review

Inventions to 1865

Marshall Court

• Marbury v. Madison (1803), established judicial review

• Fletcher v. Peck (1810), upholds contract laws

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), states can not tax the federal government (the Bank of the U.S.) – “the power to tax is the power to destroy” – also confirmed that the Bank was constitutional

Marshall Court 2

• Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)—colonial charters are protected by the U.S. Constitution, contracts must be upheld

• Johnson v. McIntosh (1823) – established that Indian tribes had rights to land that preceded all other law—only the Federal Government could take land from the tribes.

• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) – clarified that commerce is any business activity and that Congress controls it

Marshall Court 3

• Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) – domestic dependent nation, established a “trust relationship” with the tribes being under Federal authority, not the states

• Worcester v. Georgia (1832) – tribal autonomy within boundaries, distinct political communities

Taney Court• Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837)—interests

of community are more important than interests of business—society is more important than private

• Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842) – said that labor organizations (unions) were legal and that they were allowed to strike

• Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)—states did not have to enforce the return of fugitive slaves

• Scott v. Sanford (1857) (Dred Scott case)—ruled that Dread Scott was not a citizen (since he was a slave in Missouri who had moved with his owner to Illinois, a non-slave state) and therefore could not sue, even though he had lived in a free state and a free territory, Congress can’t prohibit slavery in a territory, voided Missouri Compromise of 1820

1860’s-1880’s

• Ex Parte Milligan (1866)– a civilian can not be tried in military courts while a civil court is available

• Civil Rights Cases of 1883 (one decision on several similar cases)—legalized segregation with regard to private property

• Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific Railway Co. v. Illinois (1886)—Declared state-passed Granger laws that dealt with interstate commerce unconstitutional

1890’s

• Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Co. v. Minnesota (1890) found that Granger law regulations were violations of the 5th Amendment Property rights (Granger laws tried to regulate grain elevator and railroad freight rates to stop discriminating against farmers)

• Pollock v. The Farmers’ Loan and Trust Co. (1895)—the Wilson-Gorman Tariff had an income tax—this was found unconstitutional

1890’s part 2

• U.S. vs. E.C. Knight Co. (1895)—very narrow interpretation of Sherman Anti-Trust Act severely weakened the federal government’s rights to act against monopolies

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Legalized segregation in public facilities on the basis of “Separate but Equal”

• Williams v. Mississippi (1898) – allowed literacy tests for voting

1900’s

• “Insular Cases”/Downes v. Bidwell (1901)—allowed the federal government to place tariffs on goods entering the US from US Territories “The Constitution does not follow the flag.”

• Northern Securities Co. v. US (1904) – re-established the right of the Federal Government to fight monopolies under Sherman Antitrust

• Lochner v. New York (1905) – declared unconstitutional a New York act limiting the working hours of bakers (denial of 14th Amendment rights)

• Muller v. Oregon (1908) – recognized a 10 hour work day for women laundry workers on the grounds of health and community interests

1910’s• Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918) – Declared the Ke

ating-Owen Act (which tried to outlaw child labor by prohibiting the sale in interstate commerce of goods made by children) unconstitutional since it was an invasion of state authority

• Schenck v. US (1919) – Unanimously upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 (which put people who interfered with the war into prison)—declared that the 1st amendment freedom was speech was not absolute if its exercise presented a “clear and present danger”

1920’s-1930’s

• Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923) – declared unconstitutional a minimum wage for women since it denied women freedom of contract

• Schechter v. US (1936—”the sick chicken case”)—declared the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) unconstitutional for 3 reasons: it delegated legislative power to the executive, there was no constitutional authority for this legislation, and it sought to regulate intrastate business (one of a number of cases where the Court outlawed New Deal laws)

1940’s-1950’s

• Korematsu v. US (1944): upheld the constitutionality of detention camps for Japanese citizens during World War II

• Ex parte Endo (1944) – forbade internment of Japanese-Americans born in the US

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas – unanimous decision which made “separate but equal” unconstitutional

1960’s

• Engel v. Vitale (1962) – ruled that required prayer in school was unconstitutional

• Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) – ruled that you must have the right to get a lawyer for a trial regardless of if you can afford one

• Escobedo v. Illinois (1964) – must be allowed access to a lawyer before police questioning

• Miranda v. Arizona (1966) – you must be told of your rights (attorney, silence) before questioning can begin

1970’s

• Roe v. Wade (1973) – legalized abortion (based on 4th amendment rights of a person to be secure in their persons)

• US vs. Richard Nixon (1974)—rejected Nixon’s claim to unqualified privilege against any judicial process

• Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978)—very weak, affirmative action positive case..allowed affirmative action but barred quotas based on race

Modern Cases• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

(Missouri) (1989)—upheld Missouri law that prohibited public employees from performing abortions unless the mother would die otherwise

• Clinton v. Jones (1997) – rejected the idea that a sitting president had immunity for a non-presidential duty offense

• Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000) – the Boy Scouts could fire a troop leader due to he was gay, overturned a New Jersey anti-discrimination statute since the freedom of association was more important

• Bush v. Gore (2000) – a party-line vote stopping manual recalls and giving Bush the presidency

Major American Inventions

• Sextant (used for sailing) Thomas Godfrey, PA, 1731

• Franklin stove (yes, it’s him!) Benjamin Franklin, 1742

• Mail order business, Franklin, 1744

• Lightning rod, Franklin, 1749

• Glass harmonica, Franklin, 1761

Pre-Civil War Inventions

• Flatboat, Jacob Yoder, 1782

• Bifocals, Benjamin Franklin, 1784

• Automatic flour mill, Oliver Evans, 1784

• Diffraction Grating for Optics, David Rittenhouse, 1785

• Ocean Current Mapping, Benjamin Franklin, 1786

• Cracker, John Pearson, 1792

Pre-Civil War 2

• Cotton Gin, Eli Whitney, 1794• Wheel Cypher (codebreaking), Thomas Jefferso

n, 1795• Rumford Fireplace, Benjamin Rumford, 1796• Burr Truss (mix of an arch and a truss for bridge

s)—Theodore Burr (cousin of Aaron Burr, 1804)• Refrigeration, 1805, Oliver Evans, modified with

first patent by Jacob Perkins, 1835, for home Fred Wolf, 1913

Pre-Civil War 3

• Circular Saw, 1813, Tabitha Babbitt• Profile lathe, 1818, Thomas Blanchard• Milling machine (shaping metal) Simeon N

orth, 1818• Detachable Collar, 1827, Hannah Lord Mo

ntague• Platform Scale, Thaddeus Fairbanks, 1830• Electric telegraph, 1831, Thomas Henry (a

lso see Morse Code, 1832)

Pre-Civil War 4

• National Park, 1832

• Steam Shovel, 1835, William Otis (also elevator, 1857)

• Wrench, 1835, Solymon Merrick

• Revolver, 1836, Samuel Colt

• Combine Harvester, 1838, Hiram Mooer

Pre-Civil War 5

• Sleeping car (train), 1839, first made by George Pullman, 1857

• Grain elevator, Joseph Dart, 1842

• Rotary Printing Press, 1843, Richard Hoe

• Vulcanized rubber, 1844, Charles Goodyear

• Baseball, 1845, Alexander Cartright

• Printing telegraph, 1846, Royal Earl House