 Applegate v. Luke (1927) |
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After the Phillips County Chancery Court struck down Arkansas' Alien Land Act of 1925 as unconstitutional, Attorney General H. W. Applegate appealed the case to the Arkansas Supreme Court. Justice T. H. Humphreys upheld the lower court's ruling, arguing that the alien land law violated Section 20 of the the Declaration of Rights in the State Constitution.
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| Arch v. Barnabas Harris (1818) |
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This freedom suit illustrates how enslaved people presented a fundamental issue in the legal system. The central question in Arch's case was a question between personal liberty, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, versus a right to personal property, also enshrined in the Declaration.
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| Arkansas Alien Land Act (1925) |
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This act was passed by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1925 to restrict the ability of aliens ineligible for citizenship to acquire, possess, enjoy, use, cultivate, occupy, and transfer real property, or any interest therein," unless specified in treaties.
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| Arkansas Declaration of Rights (1874) |
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This excerpt from the Declaration of Rights in the 1874 (and current) Arkansas State Constitution contains the language prohibiting the distinction between resident aliens and citizens in regard to property.
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| Articles of Confederation (1777) |
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The first constitution of the United States, the Articles of Confederation, were only in place for eight years due to the limited power granted to the federal government. The Articles of Confederation were replaced by the current constitution in 1789.
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| Articles of Peace and Amity (1666) |
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This treaty, signed between the English colony of Maryland and twelve Eastern Woodland Native American nations, stipulated the rights of Native peoples and their lands and established regulations for interactions between Native Americans and English colonists. The document reflects an already established relationship between the colonists and Native nations by 1666.
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| Aspisa v. Hardage Lane (1837) |
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In this freedom suit, Aspisa sued for her freedom, arguing that her mother's residence in the free Northwest Territory before being taken to St. Louis where Aspisa was born entitled her to her freedom. Aspisa had filed previously against former enslavers including Joseph Rosati, the first Bishop of Saint Louis. A jury decided in favor of Aspisa's freedom in 1839, however, in a subsequent trial, the court determined her status was enslaved.
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| Baker v. Nelson (1972) |
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Baker v. Nelson was first same-sex marriage case to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal from the Minnesota Supreme Court, stating that the case did not bring forward "a substantial federal question." This case reflects the lack of thought given to LGBTQ+ rights in 1972.
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| Balzac v. Porto Rico (1922) |
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Balzac v. Porto Rico is one of a series of cases decided by the Supreme Court addressing the status of U.S. territories known as the Insular Cases. The court in Balzac ruled that residents of Puerto Rico were not guaranteed a trial by jury. In Dorr v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled the same way for residents of the Philippines.
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| Bill of Rights (1791) |
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The first 10 amendments to the Constitution guarantee certain personal rights and limit the power of the federal government. These amendments are continuously considered by the Supreme Court in their rulings.
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| Boston Port Act (1774) |
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One of the Intolerable or Coercive Acts, the Boston Port Act closed Boston harbor to all commerce until the city paid for the tea destroyed during the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Port Act attempted to subdue Boston’s revolutionary residents. After this act and the other Intolerable Acts were passed, the First Continental Congress met to formalize a reaction to the perceived overstepping of British parliament.
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| Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) |
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Later overturned by Lawrence v. Texas, this Supreme Court case ruled that the 14th Amendment did not prevent states from prohibiting sexual relations between same-sex couples.
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| Brief of Amici Curiae American Historical Association and Organization of American Historians In Support of Federal and Tribal Parties (2022) |
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The amicus brief for Haaland v. Brackeen, submitted by the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians in support of federal and tribal parties, outlines key historical issues of child removal in tribal communities.
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| Brief of Historians of Marriage and the American Historical Association as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioners (2015) |
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This amicus brief for Obergefell v. Hodges was submitted by historians affiliated with the American Historical Society in support of same sex marriage.
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 Broadside Reacting to the Fugitive Slave Act (1851) |
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This broadside was distributed in Boston following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
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| Brown v. Board of Education (1954) |
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The Supreme Court found in Brown v. Board of Education that educational segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This landmark case overturned the precedent created by the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, and ended the Jim Crow era.
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| Burke Act (1906) |
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The Burke Act amended Section 6 of the Dawes Act to explicitly add competency as a legal marker for allottees, tying settler-colonial judgements of social and cultural behavior to land holding.
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| Burlingame-Seward Treaty (1886) |
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In the wake of the Second Opium War (1865-60), United States Secretary of State William Seward and the U.S. Minister to China Anson Burlingame negotiated what became known as the Burlingame Treaty of 1868. The treaty established trade ports for the U.S. in China, opened Chinese consuls in the U.S., and permitted the free immigration and travel of Chinese immigrants to the United States under the "the most-favored nation principle."
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| Cable Act (1922) |
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The Cable Act was a federal law that repealed the Expatriation Act, restoring United States citizenship to American women married to foreigners. The act reflected early goals from newly-won women's suffrage.
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| California Proposition 6 (2024) |
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A proposed amendment to the California that would have banned involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime. This measure failed in the 2024 election, meaning the State of California remains one of 16 states that still allows forced labor. A similar ballot measure also failed in 2022.
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| Chain Gang Blues (1925) |
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Chain Gang Blues was a song recorded by blues singer Ma Rainey in 1925 that reflects the experience of Black Americans in the Jim Crow South. In the song, the protagonist has been sent on the chain gang for reasons that she thinks are unjust.
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| Charles Mahoney v. John Ashton (1791) |
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This freedom suit was based on the claim that the petitioner was descended from a free Black woman who was an indentured servant when she arrived in colonial Maryland from England. Mahoney's attorneys invoked the Somerset principle, 18th century British case law, and even the Declaration of Independence to secure his freedom, but after three jury trials, Mahoney remained enslaved.
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| Charlotte Dupee, Charles, & Mary Ann v. Henry Clay (1829) |
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In this freedom suit, Charlotte Dupee sought to claim freedom for herself and her children from Henry Clay, the outgoing Secretary of State and leading Whig Senator from Kentucky. While the courts did find in her favor, Charlotte continued to resist her enslavement until she and her daughter Mary Ann were ultimately manumitted 1840.
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| Charter of Delaware (1701) |
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The charter for the colony of Delaware guarantees the residents of the colony "freedom of their consciences" as well as religious freedom, stating that if these are abridged no man can be truly happy. It also sets up the rules and values of the colony's government. Colonial charters outline the boundaries of their colony and set up a government for the colony. These documents provide insight into the values of the colonies' founders. The Delaware charter also provides limits on the governor's powers including setting up the terms for impeachment.
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| Charter of Georgia (1732) |
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The charter of Georgia sets up the rules and values of the colony’s government. Georgia was founded as a place to relocate debtors of London to give them a chance to make a living and pay back their debts. The colony’s location buffered profitable South Carolina from the Spanish Colonies and Native Americans in Florida and beyond. Colonial charters outline the boundaries of their colony and set up a government for the colony. Colonial charters provide insight into the values of the colonies’ founders. The Charter of Georgia limited the amount of land individuals could own because of its goals to relocate the poor.
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