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The Constitution of the United States
Established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. -
Bill of Rights
During the summer of 1787, a group of politicians, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, gathered in Philadelphia to draft a new U.S. Constitution, later in December the first ten amendments were added to the US Constitution. -
Reynolds v. United States
The Court examined whether the federal anti-bigamy statute violated the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause, because plural marriage is part of religious practice. -
Espionage Act
Prohibited many forms of speech, including "any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States. -
Schenck v. United States
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Socialist Party activist Charles Schenck after he distributed fliers urging young men to dodge the draft during World War I. -
De Jonge v. Oregon
Meeting held by the Communist Party, Dirk De Jonge addressed the audience regarding jail conditions in the county and a maritime strike in progress in Portland. While the meeting was in progress, police raided it. -
Rosenberg v. Board of Education
After considering the charge that Oliver Twist and the Merchant of Venice are "objectionable because they tend to engender hatred of the Jew as a person and as a race," the Supreme Court, Kings County, New York, decided that these two works cannot be banned from the New York City schools -
Red Scare
Hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. he Red Scare led to a range of actions that had a profound and enduring effect on U.S. government and society. -
The Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers were a top-secret Department of Defense study of U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam. Published portions of the Pentagon Papers revealed that the presidential administrations had misled the public about the degree of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
Three public school students wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. They were suspended from school for refusing to remove them.They sued the district for violating their 1st Amendment rights. -
Texas v. Johnson
Gregory Lee Johnson, a youth communist, burned a flag during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas to protest the Reagan administration. -
Madsen v. Women’s Health Center
In 1992, in response to anti-abortion protesters, a state court prohibited the protesters from physically abusing those entering or exiting the clinic, or otherwise interfering with access to the clinic.
