Cases About Rights for African Americans Before 1920
Which court case declared that slaves were property, not people.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Which protection in the Bill of Rights is most directly related to the 1735 trial of John Peter Zenger?
Freedom of press
Why did the U.S. government place Japanese Americans in internment camps during WWII?
The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor so the U.S. government thought Japanese Americans may be spies for Japan.
Explain the historical circumstance of, Brown vs. Board of Education.
Linda Brown had to walk 18 blocks to get to her "colored" school even though there was a white school right across the street from her house. Her dad sued to allow her to attend the "Whites Only" school.
Judicial Review, or the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional, was established by what court case?
Marbury v. Madison
He sat in the "whites only" car and told the conductor he was part African American
Why was Schenck arrested in 1919?
He wrote brochures that said the draft was wrong and men should not go to war even if they're drafted.
What did the court decide in Korematsu vs. United States?
The court said that national security is MORE important than individual rights. The court sided with the U.S. government and said the interment camps were justified.
What was the decision in Brown vs. Board of Education?
Separate but equal is inherently unequal. Public schools had to be desegregated.
What was the background of the case, Marbury v. Madison?
When John Adams lost the Presidential election, he appointed a ton of judges who supported his ideas the night before Thomas Jefferson took office (midnight justices). Jefferson ordered Madison not to deliver the papers that officially gave the new judges their jobs. Marbury, one of the new judges, sued and said he should get his job.
What was the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?
Separate but equal is established. Segregation and Jim Crow Laws were legal and allowed throughout the nation.
What was the name of the 1969 court case that stated after students wore black armbands to protest a war at school?
Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District
What right did Korematsu say was violated when he was arrested for refusing to go to an internment camp?
14th Amendment
What court case protects the rights of the accused?
Miranda vs. Arizona
What court case required Nixon to hand over the tapes that recorded conversations in the oval office? What happened as a result?
United States vs. Nixon - Nixon resigned from the Presidency
What was the historical circumstance of Dred Scott v. Sandford?
Dred Scott was a slave. His master was in the military and moved to a free state. Dred Scott believed that since slavery was illegal there, he should be free and sued and his master.
When it causes chaos, disrupts class, or invades the rights of others
Did the decision in, Schenck vs. United States, limit or expand our rights? How?
It limited our rights because it lets the government take away rights like freedom of press or freedom of speech, which are supposed to be guaranteed to us in the bill of rights, during times of war.
What was the decision in, Roe v. Wade?
The government cannot deny a woman the right to privacy that protects a pregnant woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.
What was the historical circumstance of the case, United States vs. Nixon?
Watergate Scandal - people working on Nixon's campaign bugged the offices of the Democrats and got caught breaking into their office. Nixon helped them try to cover up their crimes and had recordings of conversations he had with people about it in his office. Congress asked for the tapes but Nixon refused to give them up. Congress sued Nixon.
How did the court case, Dred Scott v. Sandford, impact the expansion of slavery in the U.S.?
It made it so slavery could be present even in free territories. Congress could not ban slavery in territories, therefore, slavery could spread throughout the west.
What law did Schenck break when he wrote the anti-draft brochures?
Espionage Act of 1917
According to the decision in, Schenck vs. United States, when can the government censor your right to freedom of press or speech during wartime?
What was the decision of the court case, Heart of Atlanta Motel vs. United States?
Businesses were forced to follow the Civil Rights Act and could not discriminate on the basis of race under the Commerce Clause.
What was the historical circumstance of the Supreme Court case, Worcester vs. Georgia? Who won?
Georgia made a law that said white settlers could not live on Cherokee land. Samuel Worcester sued and said he should be able to live there. The government sided with Worcester saying that since Native American land is not technically part of the U.S., Georgia could not make or enforce laws about it. (President Andrew Jackson did not follow this decision)