Historians often describe Supreme Court decisions as flash points in our shared past. Historic Supreme Court decisions reflect a broader set of social, political, economic, and cultural forces at a point of inflection: there is usually a “before” and “after” surrounding these decisions. Select the Supreme Court case that you see as the most important/influential to American history, and in a short analysis of 2 pages, explain why. Things to consider:
- What was the context of the case?
- What impact did the decision have on American society at the time?
- Who benefited from the decision? Who was harmed by the decision?
- What lasting effects may be seen today of this decision?
Choose one of the following cases:
Marburg v Madison
McCulloh v Maryland
Lochner v New York
Plessy v Ferguson
US v EC Knight
Abrams v US
Muller v Oregon
Korematsu v US
US v Butler
West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette
Brown v board of education i and ii
Civil and voting rights acts
Cooper v Aaron
Roe v wade
Lemon v Kurtzman
Regents of University of CA v Bakke
Planned parenthood v Casey
United States v Virginia