Question 1

Passed by Congress in 1890, which act was designed to place controls on business?

Accepted Answer

The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890 to prevent anti-competitive practices, reduce market monopolies, and maintain economic competition.

Question 2

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that the Sherman Act controlled only commerce, that manufacturing was not commerce, and that therefore manufacturing monopolies did not violate the act?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in United States v. E. C. Knight that the Sherman Act controlled only commerce, not manufacturing, and therefore manufacturing monopolies did not violate the act. This case distinguished between manufacturing and commerce, limiting the scope of the Sherman Act's application to direct restraints on trade.

Question 3

What are contracts forced on employees requiring them to promise not to join a union as a condition of employment?

Accepted Answer

Yellow dog contracts are agreements that employees sign, promising not to join a union during their period of employment.

Question 4

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court strike down federal legislation aimed at child labor reform, which would have cost business dearly, on the grounds that the law went beyond congressional power to regulate interstate commerce?

Accepted Answer

Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918) was the case where the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916. The Court ruled that the act exceeded Congress's powers under the Commerce Clause because it sought to regulate labor conditions, which were considered a matter of local, not interstate, commerce.

Question 5

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court strike down an act of Congress setting minimum wages for women and children as an unconstitutional violation of freedom of contract?

Accepted Answer

Adkins v. Children's Hospital (1923) is the case where the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a minimum wage law for women and children in the District of Columbia, ruling it as an unconstitutional infringement on the freedom of contract.

Question 6

Although the courts have since reasserted this power, under which 1932 act did Congress strip the federal courts of their power to issue injunctions against labor unions engaged in labor disputes?

Accepted Answer

The Norris-La Guardia Act of 1932 significantly limited the ability of federal courts to issue injunctions against labor unions involved in labor disputes, marking a pivotal shift in labor law and protections for labor unions.

Question 7

Which act legalized labor unions and required employers to engage in good-faith collective bargaining?

Accepted Answer

The Wagner Act, also known as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, legalized labor unions and required employers to engage in good-faith collective bargaining with unions. It was a significant piece of legislation that helped to strengthen the position of labor unions in the United States.

Question 8

In which 1937 case did the U.S. Supreme Court declare the Wagner Act constitutional?

Accepted Answer

In National Labor Relations Board v. Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Wagner Act, affirming the federal government's power to regulate labor relations.

Question 9

Which case is NOT among the important cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1895 in which the Court struck blows to each of the three principle reform activities employed by democratic governments everywhere?

Accepted Answer

United States v. Butler was decided in 1936, not in 1895. The other cases listed were indeed decided around 1895 and are significant in the context of U.S. Supreme Court history for impacting reform activities.

Question 10

According to the text, legal and political equality are natural equalities due to us by virtue of our:

Accepted Answer

Legal and political equality are considered natural equalities that are due to us by virtue of our humanity, recognizing the inherent dignity and equal rights of all human beings.

Question 11

According to the text, _____________ is unfair, since under the principles of distributive justice "superior" people will receive more benefits as a result of being blessed with a natural superiority they did nothing to deserve.

Accepted Answer

The text suggests that capitalist meritocracy is unfair because it rewards people for their natural abilities rather than their efforts, which contradicts the principles of distributive justice that argue against benefiting from unearned advantages.

Question 12

What appeals to our moral sentiments because it is a process by which we expect to "make things right"?

Accepted Answer

Fairness appeals to our moral sentiments because it involves principles of justice and equality, aiming to "make things right" by ensuring that everyone is treated equally and justly.

Question 13

A society concerned with ____________ knows that nature does not produce a state of equality, and to try to artificially produce one would involve a powerful state apparatus to force one group (the productive taxpayer) to further the goals of another (the tax consumer) without the former's consent.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A society concerned with ____________ knows that...

Question 14

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court set the stage for its jurisdiction over state legislatures, an exercise in power stoutly resisted by the states?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which case did the U.S. Supreme...

Question 15

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the Court had the final word over all federal and state courts, a decision that was to become the keystone of federal judicial power?

Accepted Answer

Martin v. Hunter's Lessee established the Supreme Court's authority over state courts in matters of federal law, reinforcing the supremacy of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.

Question 16

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that Congress could charter a national bank and that the individual states could not tax it, thus providing for an instrument of national economic stability while at the same time limiting the sovereignty of the states vis-à-vis the federal government?

Accepted Answer

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) is the Supreme Court case that established the federal government's implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution, ruling that Congress could create a national bank and that states could not tax it. This decision strengthened federal authority and limited state power over national economic policies.

Question 17

The Scott v. Sandford decision:

Accepted Answer

The Scott v. Sandford decision, also known as the Dred Scott decision, declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, ruling that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. This decision intensified the sectional conflict over slavery, contributing to the events leading up to the Civil War.

Question 18

The U.S. Supreme Court became a major catalyst of social change under the leadership of which chief justice from 1953 to 1969?

Accepted Answer

Earl Warren served as Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969, and his tenure is noted for landmark decisions in areas of civil rights, criminal justice, and the restructuring of political representation, making the Court a significant agent of social change.

Question 19

Which U.S. Supreme Court case is canonical and has been called "the single most honored opinion in the Supreme Court's opus"?

Accepted Answer

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka is widely regarded as a landmark decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional, effectively overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson. This case is often celebrated for its profound impact on the Civil Rights Movement and its role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States.

Question 20

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court ban prayer in public schools?

Accepted Answer

Engel v. Vitale (1962) is the case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government-directed prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress.

Quiz 11: Law, Social Change, and the Class Struggle