Have you heard of John Marshall? Do you know what his views were and how he molded the government into what it is today through landmark court cases? If you answered “no” to those questions, then this APUSH exam review is for you! This quick crash course will cover John Marshall and the important APUSH court cases you need to know.
Who was John Marshall?
Appointed by his cousin President John Adams, John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, ruling from 1801 to 1835. A staunch Federalist, Marshall believed in a strong central government and opposed states’ rights. During his time as Chief Justice, he increased the power of the federal government, helped promote business, and stimulated the economy through several landmark decisions. His Federalist ideals greatly influenced the decisions he made.
He is considered by many to be one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices in American history because his decisions have shaped the role of the government and the judicial branch into what they are today.
Marbury v. Madison, 1803
It’s not too important to know the outcome, or even the details, of this case, but I will briefly talk about what happened. Before he left office, John Adams appointed a man named William Marbury, who happened to be a Federalist, to the position of justice of the peace for the District of Columbia. However, the delivery of this commission was left to the new president, Thomas Jefferson, who told his Secretary of State, James Madison, to deliver the papers. Madison refused to deliver the commission because he didn’t want a Federalist judge in the courts. Marbury sued Madison.
The significance of this case is that it established the principle of judicial review, which means that the Supreme Court can declare laws of Congress unconstitutional. If laws conflict with the constitution, they should be declared “null and void.” This ruling greatly increased the power of the Supreme Court and shows the Federalist views of Marshall’s Court.
McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
Another court case you should know about is McCulloch v. Maryland. In this case, the state of Maryland did not like the Second National Bank because it competed with smaller state banks. In hopes of destroying the national bank, Maryland tried to impose hefty taxes on it. The Bank refused to pay the taxes and the case went to court.
What’s important about this case is that the Supreme Court sided against Maryland, saying that it was “necessary and proper” for Congress to establish a national bank. This case dealt with the implied powers of the Constitution and upheld the federal government’s superiority over state governments.
Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 1819
This case dealt with contracts and whether or not states had the right to interfere with them. The government of New Hampshire tried to change the charter of Dartmouth College to change it from a private school to a public school. However, when the case was taken to court, Marshall ruled that a charter is a contract, and contracts must be honored. This case weakened the powers of the state governments and strengthened the powers of the federal government.
Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824
For the APUSH Exam, don’t worry about the details of this case too much. Just know that the state of New York granted a monopoly to a boat company on the Hudson, which involved interstate trade between New York and New Jersey and raised the question of whether states could control interstate trade. The importance of this case is that Marshall ruled that states could NOT control interstate trade and only Congress had this power. This was yet another blow to states’ rights.
Note: Know the difference between interstate trade and intrastate trade. The former involved trade between different states, while the latter involves trade within one state.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831
After the Cherokee Indian tribe sued the state of Georgia for forcing them to move and follow Georgia laws, the Marshall Court found that the Cherokees had no legal rights to sue the Federal Court. The significance of this case is that the Cherokees were not found to be a separate foreign nation and were still subject to state laws. This meant that they could still be forced to move West.
Worcester v. Georgia, 1832
In a follow-up to Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, an American citizen sued Georgia on behalf of the Cherokees. Because the Supreme Court could now hear the case since it was brought by an American citizen, Marshall ruled that Georgia laws did not apply to Cherokees living on Cherokee land. This meant that they didn’t have to move westward or abide by the state’s laws. This enforced the idea that the federal government had control over Indian affairs, not the individual states. President Andrew Jackson was upset by the ruling, and said, “John Marshall has made his decision, let him enforce it.”
Why is John Marshall important in APUSH?
John Marshall is extremely important for the AP® US History Exam. There have been several questions on Marshall’s views and the significance (although not the details) of his landmark court cases. It’s important to know that Marbury v. Madison established the principle of judicial review, and that McCulloch v. Maryland, Dartmouth College v. Woodward, and Gibbons v. Ogden upheld the authority of the federal government over the authority of state governments. Overall, Justice Marshall’s Supreme Court decisions strengthened the powers of the federal government at the expense of state governments.
A 2004 free-response question asked about why the 1800s was named the “Revolution of 1800,” with respect to economic, foreign policy, judiciary and politics. To explain the ways that the judiciary branch experienced a revolution during this time, you could reference different Marshall court cases and talk about how they established the superiority of the federal government over state government. You wouldn’t have to write about the specifics of each case, but you would be expected to know the impact of the cases and the precedents they set.
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