Federalist vs Antifederalist
Federalist No. 10
Important document which states:
People have certain inalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All men are created equal. Individuals have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and others.
The Declaration of Independence
Supreme Court case which ruled that it was a women's constitutional right to privacy, and therefore has the right to have an abortion. Ruled that a state law banning abortions was unconstitutional.
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Supreme Court decision which ruled that separating children in public schools in the basis of race was unconstitutional. Signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in schools of the US, overruling the "separate but equal" principle.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
Supreme Court case which ruled that neither students nor teachers "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate". The court took the position that school officials would not prohibit only on the suspicion that the speech might disrupt the learning environment.
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
Federalist document which states that appropriate checks and balances can be created in government. Also advocates for the separation of powers within a national government.
Federalist No. 51
The first 10 amendments of the Constitution. Guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual - like the freedom of speech, press, and religion. Sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States.
Bill of Rights
Supreme Court case which ruled that the freedom of speech protection afforded in the US Constitution's First Amendment could be restricted if the words were spoken or printed represented to society a "clear and present danger."
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Supreme Court case which ruled that states are required to provide legal counsel to indigent defendants charged with a felony.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Supreme Court case which ruled that the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms" applies to state and local governments as well as to the federal government.
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
Federalist No. 78
Important document with the main ideas of: limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, seperation of powers, and popular so
Constitution of the United States
Supreme Court case which ruled that official recitation of prayers in public schools violated the first Amendment's Establishment Clause. The ruling is hailed by some as a victory for religious freedom, while criticized by others as striking as a blow to the nation's religious traditions.
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Supreme Court case where it was ruled that The New York Times and The Washington Post had the right to write newspapers to publish the then classified Pentagon Papers without the risk of government censorship or punishment.
New York Times Company v. United States (1971)
Supreme Court case which established the power of judicial review for the US Supreme Court and lower federal courts with respect to the Constitution and eventually for parallel state courts with respect to state constitutions.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Federalist document who argues in favor of the unitary executive created by Article II of the constitution. Argues that it is necessary to ensure accountability in government and to enable the president to defend against legislative encroachments on his power.
Federalist No. 70
Created by the Second Continental Congress. Purpose is to plan the structure of the new government and to create a confederation - some kind of government.
Articles of Confederation
Supreme Court case which held that Congress has implied powers derived from those listed in Article I, Section 8. The "necessary and proper clause" gave Congress the power to establish a national bank.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Supreme Court case which ruled that the government cannot restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
Supreme Court case which made it possible for unrepresented voters to have their districts redrawn by federal courts, initiating a decade of lawsuits that would eventually result in a redrawing of the nation's political map.
Baker v. Carr (1961)
Antifederalist document declaring Congress and the government held too much power, at the expense of the states. The rights of the people are best defended under the 13 states governing as republics, and not a government as a whole.
Brutus No. 1
Letter sent to Martin Luther King Jr. to respond to a group of white clergy who had criticized his use of nonviolent disobedience in Birmingham, Alabama
Letter from Birmingham City Jail
Supreme Court case which ruled that electoral districts whose boundaries cannot be explained except on the basis of race can be challenged as potential violations of the equal protection clause.
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
Supreme Court case which ruled that Wisconsin's compulsory school attendance law was unconstitutional as applied to the Amish, because it violated their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion.
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Supreme Court case that ruled that the Guns Free Zones Act (1990), which prohibited the possession of a firearm within 1000 feet of a school, was unconstitutional because the measure "neither regulates a commercial activity nor contains a requirement that the possession be connected in any way to interstate commerce.
United States v. Lopez (1995)