History 1700 MacKay    Exam 4 You will receive one of the following topics on which to write a 4-5 paragraph essay.

Section I. How is the 1787 Constitution changed through interpretation and amendments, 1791-1831? Focus on the following:

• How does the Bill of Rights fundamentally change the Constitution?  How do these amendments respond to the opponents of the Constitution? What is "due process of law"?

• What is judicial review? Use one of John Marshall's decisions to demonstrate your understanding of that power of the courts.  How do Marshall's decision strengthen the power of the national government under the Constitution?

Section II.  The United States nearly falls apart in the Civil War, 1861-1865.  At the core of the "irreconcilable differences" between the North and the South was the question of slavery in a democratic republic committed to protection of rights. Focus on the following:

• Explain the ruling in the 1857 Dred Scott decision. What are the issues of "person," inalienable rights, and citizenship?
• How does Lincoln's address at Gettysburg in 1863 express a re-commitment for the U.S. government to protect inalienable rights of all within its governance?
• How do the 3 Reconstruction Amendments fundamentally change the Constitution in expanding protect of rights?
• Explain the ruling in the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson case. What are the issues of "separate but equal" in relation to the 14th Amendment's declaration of "equal protection under law"? Consider Justice Harlan's dissenting opinion.

Extra points (up to 5) How does Oates argue in his essay that Lincoln "journied" to a commitment not only of emancipation but of full political and legal rights for African Americans?