In 1850, Southerners succeeded in getting a new federal law passed to return fugitive slaves who had escaped to the North. The U.S. government enforced this law, but some Northern states passed laws to resist it. Sometimes, free blacks and sympathetic whites joined to rescue captured fugitive slaves.
The History of Immigration Law in the United States
This lesson provides a background on the history of immigration policy in the United States, that is the philosophical origins, legal debates, and legal history from the Founding of the nation to the late 1900s. Students will come to understand how American lawmakers viewed immigrants and the reasoning behind the evolving nature of immigration policy.
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
Did the North Carolina residents’ claim that the 1990 redistricting plan discriminated on the basis of race raise a valid constitutional issue under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause? North Carolina drew legislative districts to create a majority black district.
Equal Justice Under Law
In its first constitutional challenge to the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear a case brought by a Chinese immigrant, not an American citizen. Yick Wo believed city ordinances had been unfairly applied to him, so he challenged their constitutionality under the equal protection clause, and took his case all the way to the Supreme Court.
Evenwel v. Abbott (2016)
Does the principle of “one person, one vote” permit states to use total population rather than total voter population when apportioning legislative districts? This case summary explores this question and the principle of one person, one vote, in this case about drawing district lines.
Obergefell v. Hodges and consolidated cases (2015)
These cases are about whether states are required to license same-sex marriages or to recognize lawful same-sex marriages performed in other states. In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that one part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment and the federal government had to treat same-sex married couples the same as all other married couples. Does the Fourteenth Amendment require states to do the same? Moreover, does the Fourteenth Amendment require that all states permit marriages between two people of the same sex?
Fisher v. University of Texas II (2016)
Does UT-Austin’s consideration of race in undergraduate admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? This case summary considers questions of affirmative action in university admissions.
Timeline and Primary Sources: History of the Fourteenth Amendment
Students will learn about the meaning and history of the Fourteenth Amendment through this timeline and collection of primary sources.
Equal Protection: What Is Discrimination?
What is the purpose of the equal protection clause? What did Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education say? What are two ways of understanding the clause? This video lecture is part of an online course taught by University of Pennsylvania law professor Kermit Roosevelt III. “Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases” covers the topics: Where does the Constitution come from? How has it changed over the years? How do we know what it means?
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) High School Level
This case summary provides teachers with everything they need to teach about Brown v. Board of Education (1954). It contains background information in the form of summaries and important vocabulary at three different reading levels, as well a review of relevant legal concepts, diagram of how the case moved through the court system, and summary of the decision. This resource also includes nine classroom-ready activities that teach about the case using interactive methods. Middle school level also available.