APUSH EXAM REVIEW GUIDE
KEY SUPREME COURT DECISIONS (ORGANIZED THEMATICALLY) AND TREATIES
Court Decisions Regarding Social/Civil Rights Policy
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Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831): the Cherokee Nation is a “denominated domestic
dependent nation” over which the Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction and
therefore could not rule against the laws of Georgia
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Worcester v. Georgia (1832): Indian Territory is sovereign and cannot be controlled or
administered by states and, thus, all U.S. relations with Native Americans must be
handled as with a foreign nation
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Dredd Scott v. Sandford (1857): slaves are property and no government may deprive a
person of its property; furthermore, slaves are not citizens and have none of the
protections thereof
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The Civil Rights Cases (1883): discrimination and denial of equal protection is only a
violation of the 14th Amendment when it is carried out by a government (federal, state, or
local), but not when the acts are committed by private citizens or in private industry
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Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): segregation in public facilities (schools, bus stations, etc.)
does not violate the 14th Amendment as long as facilities are “separate but equal”
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The Insular Cases (early 1900s): the Constitution does not “follow the flag”; in other
words, constitutional rights do not apply to all non-citizens under American authority
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Schenck v. United States (1919): established the “clear and present danger” rule regarding
freedom of speech
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Korematsu v. U.S. (1944): the military necessity of Executive Order 9066 to prevent
espionage and protect the greater good outweighs Korematsu’s individual rights
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Brown v. Board of Education (1954): public school segregation is unconstitutional
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Gideon v. Wainright (1963): counsel must be provided to all criminal defendants, even
those who cannot afford it
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Loving v. Virginia (1967): interracial marriage cannot be prohibited
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Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969): government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless it is
direct to inciting a riot or imminent lawless action
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Roe v. Wade (1973): legalizes abortion
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Regents of the U.C. v. Bakke (1978): bars quota systems for college admissions, but
upholds affirmative action programs giving equal access to minorities
Court Decisions Regarding Governmental/Constitutional Theory
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Marbury v. Madison (1803): establishes judicial review
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Fletcher v. Peck (1810): first time a state law is declared unconstitutional
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McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): states may not interfere with the economic interests of
the federal government; upheld constitutionality of the Bank of U.S.; set a precedent for
the use of the Necessary and Proper (Elastic) Clause
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Gibbons v. Ogden (1824): affirmed federal control over interstate commerce
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Ex Parte Merryman (1861): only Congress may suspend habeas corpus, not the president
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Ex Parte Milligan (1866): the president can suspend habeas corpus, but civilians cannot
be tried in military courts even during times of war provided the civilian court system is
functioning
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Munn v. Illinois (1876): governments can regulate private businesses if it is in the public
interest or they operate as a “common carrier”
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A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. U.S. (1935): U.S. Supreme Court struck down NIRA as
unconstitutional
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Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952): the president does not have the
authority to seize private industry even in a time of national crisis; Truman’s Executive
Order was exercising “law making power” which is reserved to Congress
Treaties, International Agreements, & Organizations
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Treaty of Alliance (1778)
Treaty of Paris (1783)
Jay’s Treaty (1795)
Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)
Treaty of Ghent (1815)
British Cession (1818)
Adams-Onís Treaty (1819)
Treaty of 1846 (1846)
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)
Gadsden Purchase (1853)
Treaty of Paris (1899)
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty (Panama Canal) Treaty (1903)
Treaty of Portsmouth (1905)
Gentleman’s Agreement (1907)
Root-Takahira Agreement (1908)
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918)
Treaty of Versailles (1919)
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Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact (1928)
Atlantic Charter (1941)
U.N. Charter (1945)
NATO (1949)
Treaty of San Francisco (1952)
Geneva Accords (1953)
SEATO (1954)
CENTO (1955)
ANZUS (1951)
Limited Test Ban Treaty/Partial Test Ban Treaty/Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963)
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968)
SALT I (1971)
ABM Treaty (1972)
Paris Peace Accords (1973)
Helsinki Accords (1975)
Panama Canal Treaty (1977)
Camp David Accords (1978)
SALT II (1979)
NAFTA (1993)