Jessica’s  Supreme Court Cases that Defined the Nation and 

paved the 
way to the Future!
Chisholm vs. Georgia – 1793 – Considered to be the 1st Supreme
Nice guy Alex  Court case. Alex Chisholm, sued the state of Georgia over payments
was… due for goods that Chisholm had supplied to Georgia during the Amer-
ican Revolutionary War.

Marbury vs. Madison – 1803 – A landmark case in United States

law it was also the basis for establishing judicial review. Marbury had a
petition for President Adams to present his commission but was turned
down. Huh… THAT MEANS… the Supreme Court could declare laws un-
constitutional!

 McCulloch vs. Maryland – 1819 - A conflict between stateNot a good 

government and the Fed. Government, with the state being idea!! The 
called subordinate to the Feds. Here Maryland wanted to states will 
create a tax, but the Court called upon “implied powers” in
the Constitution. Even if it wasn’t written, it was implied.strike back!

 Trustees of Dartmouth College vs. Woodward – 1819 –

IMPORTANT!!! The Supreme Court ruled on dealings with the
application of the “Contract Clause” of the US Constitution
to private corps. Basically, it allowed private orgs. to
exist!! The S. Court is 
doing a bang up 
❇ Gibbons vs. Ogden – 1824 – The Supreme Court gave a wide def.
You gotta stand up  to Congress power to regulate commerce throughout the states… job in dealing 
for the Native  Ogden had purchased a monopoly on steamboats, but Gibbons ranwith the states…
a rival steamboat service. The Court called upon the power to "reg-
Americans at 
ulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several
some point!! States, and with the Indian Tribes."

❇ Worchester vs. Georgia – 1832 – The Supreme Court held that

Cherokee Native Americans were entitled to federal protection from
the actions of
State governments. This was ignored by President Andrew Jackson.
The Supreme 
Court is pushing 
o Barron vs. Baltimore – 1833 – The Supreme Court ruled
that the Bill of Rights applies only to actions of the federal gov- it!! I swear… 
ernment, not to the states and local governments. first it says that 
Can you see where  o state govern­
this is going? The Su­  Prigg vs. Pennsylvania – 1842 – Supreme Court ruled ments are below 
preme Court keeps  that all blacks were property and all those born in the country the Feds… now 
making these… de­ were the slaves of the owners of the parents. this!
cisions and the coun­
try will end up at 
war!! With itself!
 The Dred Scott case - 1856 – Well, since this shall be the last
case I shall be covering, we’ll make this one nice and long… mainly be-
cause it’s one of the most important cases. It was the case that led to
the START of the CIVIL WAR!!
Those two words don’t go together in a sentence.

 Basically, Dred Scott was a slave who thought he was free be-
cause he had lived on free soil for a LOOOONG period of time. You’d
think you were free too if you’d live on free land, huh?

 Anyway, Dred Scott sued his “master” (Master, my butt!!)

but the Supreme Court sided with his “master”, saying
that no matter what, Dred Scott was still a slave! It didn’t
matter where he had lived. North wasn’t too happy with that, let me tell
you!

 That’s not all; The Supreme Court said that blacks were
not citizens. ALSO, no state government had the right to
‘free’ slaves if they were ‘free’ states. Stab in the back!

 This would have overturned the Missouri Compromise if, of

course, it was still in effect. The Supreme Court also ruled
that no territory could exclude slavery, thus getting “under
the skin and behind enemy lines” with the free states.

 So, now you see the cases that began in the beginning and led to
the CIVIL WAR. Make your own opinions on whether they were
good decisions or not… and study up!