AHTC Summer Institute

July 24 – 28, 2006

Web Resources for Legal History

Website

Description

http://www.law.cornell.edu/index.html

 

Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute

 

This is a research activity of the Cornell Law School.  Click on Òcourt opinionsÓ to search historical Supreme Court opinions.  Click on Òlaw aboutÉ.Ó to find articles in many, many different categories such as labor law, legal ethics, immigration, and employment discrimination.

 

http://www.supremecourthistory.org/

 

The Supreme Court Historical Society

 

 

The Supreme Court Historical Society is a private non-profit organization that conducts educational programs, supports research, and collects artifacts related to the history of the Supreme Court.  On this website, click on ÒHistory of the CourtÓ to see a timeline of justices, ÒCourt History QuizzesÓ to check your studentsÕ understanding, or select the fantastic documentary features on the 1876 election and FDRÕs Court-Packing Controversy.

 

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/separation-powers/

 

The National Archives and Records Administration

This lesson plan illustrates the constitutional plan of Òchecks and balancesÓ when highlighting RooseveltÕs plan to increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court.  All of the National Archives lesson plans include primary sources that are well integrated into the lesson.

 

 

http://www.streetlaw.org/content.asp?ContentId=188

 

This is a long list of Supreme Court Internet Sites.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will find sites for lesson plans that help students examine key issues of the Supreme CourtÕs past and present.

 

http://www.state.il.us/COURT/

 

The Supreme Court of Illinois

 

Here you will find links to courts in Illinois as well as Illinois court documents and press releases.  Possibly the most interesting for you and your students are the court documents – you can find Supreme and Appellate Court opinions, rules, and policies.

 

 

http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp

 

The Southern Poverty Law Center

 

 

The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 by Morris Dees and Joe Levin in Montgomery, Alabama as a small civil rights firm.  It is now known internationally for its tolerance programs and legal victories.  This organization also began publishing Teaching Tolerance (www.teachingtolerance.org), a magazine and set of curricula that are free to educators.

 

 

http://www.law.stanford.edu/library/wlhbp/

 

WomenÕs Legal History Biography Project

The Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford Law School has created this website for people interested in the subject of women lawyers in the U.S.  You will find a huge index of women lawyers and links to other websites, articles, and books that provide more information.

 

 

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html

 

Library of Congress:  ÒBy Popular Demand:  ÔVotes for WomenÕ Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920Ó

 

This is a collection of 38 pictures, including portraits, photographs, and political cartoons commenting on the suffrage movement.

 

http://lp.findlaw.com/

 

FindLaw for Legal Professionals

 

Here you may research a lawyer or browse the Òpractice areaÓ for legal news, case law, and analytical articles relating to a specific topic.

 

 

http://www.naacp.org/about/about_history.html

 

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

 

On this page of the NAACPÕs website, you will find a timeline describing the development of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  Although not mentioned specifically on this page, some identify the 1908 Springfield, IL Race Riot as being an event that directly led to the formation of the NAACP.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP)  On this timeline you will find descriptions of protests against the Supreme Court as well as cases brought by the NAACP.

 

 

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

 

Supreme Court of the United States

 

Here you can find out whatÕs on the CourtÕs docket, when they will hear cases, read opinions, and read rules of the court.

 

http://www.usscplus.com/index.htm

 

The USSC+ Database of U.S. Supreme Court Opinions

 

From this page, you can find current Supreme Court decisions, biographies of justices, a history of the Supreme Court building, and more.

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/

 

BenÕs Guide to U.S. Government for Kids

 

Great site for kids to explore the structure of U.S. Government.  There are pages for grades K-12, and students can learn about topics such as the branches of government, the election process, citizenship, and historical documents.  There is also a link that takes you to more U.S. Government sites for students.

 

 

http://www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpage

 

OYEZ

 

 

This site has a tremendous variety of resources for those interested in the Supreme Court.  You can take a virtual tour of the building, find out what cases were decided on a particular day, and search cases by topic.  (Civil rights, criminal procedure, First Amendment, etc.) The ÒTop CasesÓ link gives a brief description of 20 of the most popular cases on Oyez.

 

 

http://www.aclu.org/scotus/index.html

 

American Civil Liberties Union

 

This site describes the series of civil liberties courses that are currently on the Supreme CourtÕs docket.  On the right side of the page, you can find cases centering on a certain topic – immigrantÕs rights, criminal justice, disability rights, etc.  It also has a link ÒAbout the ACLUÓ that describes its mission and a brief history.

 

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/education/legal.htm
 

Abraham Lincoln Legal Career Links

This site is part of a project called ÒThe Papers of Abraham Lincoln.Ó  The project is dedicated to identifying, imaging, and publishing all documents written to or by Lincoln.  On this site you and your students can learn about Abraham LincolnÕs Supreme Court and his legal career.

 

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/tours/lawtour.htm

 

Lincoln Law Career Photo Tour

 

Take your students to this website to give them a brief background to LincolnÕs law career.  They can click on photos to see comments made by LincolnÕs colleagues and friends.

http:/www.law.duke.edu/publiclaw/supremecourtonline/

 

Duke Law:  Supreme Court Online

                                                              

The goal of this site is to provide easy access (especially to teachers) to Supreme Court opinions.  There are readable summaries of pending cases and opinions.  Search by term or by featured court cases.

http://www.usnewsclassroom.com/resources/activities/justice/mapping.pdf

 

Justice and the Constitution

This could be an excellent resource to teaching about courts cases and how they move their way up to the Supreme Court.  There is a flow chart, descriptions of the basis for appeals, and a classroom activity using NewJersey v. T.L.O., where a high school student argued that an administratorÕs search of her purse violated her 4th Amendment rights.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19990628monday.html

 

New York Times Learning Network Daily Lesson Plan

 

This site is a lesson plan for grades 6-12 that asks students to examine the top Supreme Court cases from the 1998-99 term.  They are asked to assess the issues behind the cases and the potential impact of the decisions.

http://www.landmarkcases.org/

 

Landmark Cases of the Supreme Court

ÒOne-stop shopping for activities related to key Supreme Court cases and concepts mandated by state standards.Ó  Search this great site by case or the concept being studied.  Some examples include Brown v. Board, Miranda v. Arizona, and Korematsu v. United States.

 

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm

 

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law:  Famous Trials

This website is a fantastic resource for you and your students.  There are a variety of famous trials listed here, from the Salem Witchcraft trials to the Chicago 7 to the Moussaoui Trial.  Click on any of them to find a chronology, maps, images, other links, and primary documents.

 

http://www.papersofabrahamlincoln.org/

The Papers of Abraham Lincoln

*Mentioned in Professor Bruce Smith's talk Wednesday, July 26. This is an initiative of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to find and collect all documents written by Abraham Lincoln.


http://homicide.northwestern.edu/

Homicide in Chicago, 1870-1930

*Mentioned in Professor Bruce Smith's talk Wednesday, July 26. This Northwestern University website hold a record index of the Chicago Police Department Homicide Division from 1870-1930. Click on a decade to see a timeline with pictures, search the interactive database, or view topics from the historical context of Chicago - "The Rule of Law," "Labor, Social and Reform Movements," and "Criminology" are only a few of the topics available.

AlexisÕ White Sox Scandal WebQuest