Constitutional Rights – Cases In Context (4th Edition)

More than 200 cases in the constitutional canon, including foundational and modern decisions on structure and rights. This “split” includes access to half of the video library.

I.Introduction
II.Foundation of Modern Constitutional Rights
III.Equal Protection of the Law
IV.Equal Protection of the Law
V.Liberty

Chapter 1: The Founding

A. The Origins of the Constitution

  1. The Declaration of Independence
  2. The Origin of American Federalism
  3. The Agency Theory of Government
  4. The Articles of Confederation
  5. Drafting and Ratifying the Constitution
  6. The Federalist Papers (No. 10, No. 78, No. 51)

B. The Origins of the Bill of Rights

  1. Federalist Objections to a Bill of Rights
  2. The Anti-Federalist Reply (Brutus II)
    1. Brutus II, The New York Journal
  3. James Madison Delivers on the Promise of Amendments
    1. Madison’s Speech to the House Introducing Amendments
  4. The Original Meaning of the Phrase “Rights . . . Retained by the People” in the Ninth Amendment

C. The Scope of Congressional Power: The Debate over the First National Bank

  1. James Madison, Speech in Congress Opposing the National Bank 
  2. Opinion of Attorney General Edmund Randolph 
  3. Opinion of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson 
  4. Opinion of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton 

D. Fundamental Principles v. Expressed Constraints

  1. Calder v. Bull 

E. Did the “Bill of Rights” Apply to the States?

  1. Barron v. City of Baltimore 

 

Chapter 2: Slavery and the Constitution

A. The Development of Slavery in America from 1619 to 1787 

B. The Constitution’s Three Primary Concessions to Slavery 

  1. The First Compromise over Slavery: The Three- Fifths Clause
  2. The Second Concession to Slavery: The Slave Trade Clause
  3. The Third Concession to Slavery: The Fugitive Slave Clause
  4. Antislavery Delegates Held the Line and Rejected the Concept of “Property in Man”
  5. Why Compromise with Slaveholders?
  6. The Growth of Slavery and Proslavery Ideology After Ratification

C. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793

  1. Salmon P. Chase Argued That the Fugitive Slave Act Was Unconstitutional
    1. Speech of Salmon P. Chase, in the Case of the Colored Woman, Matilda, Who Was Brought Before the Court of Common Pleas of Hamilton County, Ohio, by Writ of Habeas Corpus
  2. The Taney Court Upheld the Constitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Act
    1. Prigg v. Pennsylvania
  3. Constitutional Abolitionism: Rejecting the Framers’ Intent
  4. The Constitutional Abolitionists Response to Prigg
    1. Lysander Spooner, A Defense for Fugitive Slaves Against the Acts of Congress of February 12, 1793