Dred Scott

Kansas-Nebraska Act which created the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska and endowed the citizens the legislative power to decide, through popular sovereignty, whether or not they would allow slavery, and the decision reached by the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case. The case surrounded an enslaved African American man that was suing for his freedom after being held captive within the boundaries of two free states. The issues before the court had been whether or not entering “free”…

Judicial restraint; what is it, or better yet, who is it? Judicial restraint is a judicial theory in which the judge does not administer his or her own political preferences onto the ruling of any certain case. One key characteristic of a judge who adheres to this judicial theory is the hesitancy to strike down laws, because judicial restrainers do not see themselves as being able to make law from the bench. Other major corresponding characteristics and ideologies judicial restrainers frequently…

Butler Community College Trial of the Century Noah Stewart U.S. History 2 Mr. Clark 3/27/17 Concerning the late 19th and 20th century, there have been many famous court cases regarding civil rights issues and the precedents they have set in years to come. However, no such case has accomplished both so easily as the trial of Plessy v. Ferguson. Taking place directly after the reconstruction era, this trial is crucial to establishing the verdicts of latter court cases, shaping…

When writing the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers were focused on a few different things, but mainly, they were concerned with gaining independence from Great Britain. All of the language used in the document was toyed with and edited to become the Declaration we have today, and the one that was sent overseas to Britain. With this in mind, many use the Declaration of Independence as an endorsement for slavery but how could a document based on freedom condone slavery? Calhoun…

Lecture 34: Whose Manifest Destiny? 1. Why should Am.s have regard.exp. to Pac. Coast as “manifest” destiny? The idea of expansionism caused more harm than good. Yes, America gained more territory, but created consequences. Lecture 34 states, “it caused fiction w/Great Brit. over boundaries w/Canada (4).” The idea of manifest destiny was a belief that America’s destiny was to gain more land, especially out west. Manifest destiny only benefited the U.S., but not other countries. America wanted…

American Perspectives 1.The Jamestown Fiasco- In 1607 Englishmen arrived to the new world to mark the first permanent settlement Jamestown Virginia. They wanted to prevent Spanish advancements in the New World. They settled in Jamestown because it was far inland to hide from Spain, deep water to anchor ships and protection from local Native Americans. Christopher Newport brought settlers to plant crops, he built a fort to protect their settlement. John Smith ruler of Jamestown was very…

Jake (Allen) Primack US History Hour 1 Why the Civil War Was Unavoidable Did you ever think what would have happened if there was no civil war? The fact of the matter is that the civil war wasn 't avoidable because of the disagreement and hate between the North and the South. The important United States politicians each had different views and hopes for the country, which made it hard to reach a compromise without war. The country was not together at this time, rather apart and separated. If…

U.S. Supreme Court Institutional Legitimacy It is rumored that in reaction to a ruling from the Supreme Court in 1832, President Andrew Jackson stated, “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!” This quote highlights a problem with the Supreme Court in which it can neither create nor enforce legislation. Because it has ”no influence over either the sword or the purse,” the Court must rely on its institutional legitimacy to ensure its rulings are respected (Hamilton 1788).…

Unification and foreign affairs are vital concepts that must be addressed when the President of the United States is serving in office. Failing to clarify these topics will result in a divided nation, making it difficult for the audience to accept the president’s ideas. In order to clearly present these claims, the president must be able to effectively influence the American people through his use of rhetoric. The evolution of rhetoric from our founding fathers have dramatically molded our…

The power of speaking is so great that it has the ability to impact the lives of millions. African Americans had only been though of as laborers until Alfred M. Green had presented an opportunity to them. Green attempts to encourage his fellow African American people to fight in the civil war by conveying repetitive phrases and appealing to patriotism and religion. The author is able to connect with his audience by his empowering tone and constantly sharing his vision for the future of this…