Assignment Summary For this assignment, you will research and analyze a US Supreme Court case, McCulloch v. Maryland (1819). As part of your research, you should read "McCulloch v. Maryland” from American Government: Readings and Cases by Peter Woll, starting on page 75. Background Information Familiarizing yourself with key Supreme Court cases will help you understand the philosophical underpinnings, significant legal precedents, and political values of the US political system. As you analyze each case, you will need to draw on your understanding of the relationships among the branches of government, the major principles of our Constitution and the policy making process. Additionally, these cases may be the focus of AP® exam questions. You will research a Supreme Court case and answer questions related to the background facts and lower court rulings, including the reasoning, decision, and opinion(s) for each case. Additionally, you will be asked to explain how the required Supreme Court case relates to the Constitution, other foundational documents, or primary and secondary sources. As part of your analysis, you may also be asked to consider how Supreme Court cases have set precedents for later decisions. Assignment Read the case briefing, then answer the following questions. Case background 1. Identify the plaintiff and defendant in the case. 2. Explain why the case was brought to the Supreme Court. 3. Describe the goal of each side in the case. What type of decision was desired? Constitutional connections 4. Explain the key rights or amendments involved in the case. 5. Did the case primarily center on an issue of civil rights or civil liberties? Explain. Case outcomes 6. Describe the majority decision of the court and several arguments as to why the justices ruled the way they did. 7. If there was one dissenting decision of the court, explain it in detail. Why did some justices disagree with the majority? 8. What precedent was set by the court’s decision? What impact did it have on American society?

2. The case was brought to the Supreme Court because in 1816, Congress chartered the second bank of the United States and in 1818, Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on the bank. James W. McCulloch, the cashier of the Baltimore branch of the bank, refused to pay the tax.

3. The state of Maryland believed that they had the right to tax the bank because it was not forbidden by the Constitution and the National Bank was not even legal while McCulloch believed that the States were forbidden to tax anything of the National government beyond real property and that it was necessary for Congress to create and coin money, collect taxes, and borrow money.

Constitutional Connections

4. The key rights that were involved in this case are the Necessary and Proper Clause and the Taxing and Spending Clause.

5. The case primarily centered on an issue of civil liberties because this case affected the good of the community which is the definition of civil liberties and not civil rights which is the rights of citizens.

Case Outcomes

6. The outcome of the McCulloch v. Maryland case was that the National Bank is legal because of the Necessary and Proper Clause so Maryland could not tax the National Bank since the bank is legal, the tax is a violation of the principle of National Supremacy.

7. The vote was unanimous so all the justices agreed on the decision of this case.

8. The main impacts of McCulloch v Maryland were that it established federal law as supreme over states, it helped determine how powers would be divided between the Federal Government and the States, and the Court’s decision made it clear that the Constitution gives Congress powers beyond those explicitly listed.

Explanation: