Lesson by Christopher Gill and Tim Bailey
Essay by Bruce Allen Murphy, Lafayette College
Grade Level: 7–12
Number of Class Periods: 5 or 6
Primary Era: Government and Civics
About This Lesson Plan Unit
The five lessons in this unit illuminate pivotal moments in the US Supreme Court’s history from 1787 to 1937, including Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s court-packing plan. Students will sift through commentary on the Court provided by politicians, judges, and the American public. Their understanding will be assessed through a mock interview of a US Supreme Court nominee.
Lesson Plan Authors: Christopher Gill and Tim Bailey
Historical Background Essay by: Bruce Allen Murphy, Lafayette College
Additional Information About This Unit
Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.8 Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
What powers did the US Constitution assign to the US Supreme Court?
What is the origin of judicial review, and why is it significant?
How have American politicians defined and patrolled the Supreme Court’s authority?
Documents
Documents
Federalist No. 78 (1788)
[Alexander Hamilton], “A View of the Constitution of the Judicial Department, in Relation to the Tenure of Good Behaviour” (1788)
Article III of the US Constitution (1787)
Chief Justice John Marshall’s Majority Opinion in Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Abraham Lincoln’s Speech on the Dred Scott Decision (1857)
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fireside Chat, March 9, 1937
“Fireside Chat,” a 1937 Herblock Cartoon