Professor Ken Masugi follows the establishment of the doctrine of "separate but equal" and its opposition and eventual downfall from a legal perspective. He examines particularly the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson and the 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session five, and select the RealAudio link to the left.

Professor Ken Masugi examines the 1856 U.S. Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford, in which the slave Dred Scott argued that, as he had lived and worked in both a free state and a free territory, he was now legally free. The case was decided against Scott, ruling that no African American could be a citizen and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories. Masugi uses the case to look at the Court and Constitution's use and role in the Civil War.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session four, and select the RealAudio link to the left.

Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga looks at the 1819 U.S. Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland, in which a cashier of the Baltimore branch of the Second National Bank of the United States petitioned against the state of Maryland for obstructing the functioning of that bank. Sikkenga looks at how the decision against Maryland, under Chief Justice John Marshall, established the Constitution as the basis of justice in the U.S.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session three, and select the Real Audio link to the left of the main text.

Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga describes the Marshall Court—that is, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall (served from 1801 to 1835), who, as Chief Justice, established the authority of the Court to declare void laws that violate the U.S. Constitution and to, thus, interpret the Constitution. Sikkenga examines particularly the 1803 case Marbury v. Madison.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session two, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.

Professor Christopher Flannery walks through the Federalist Papers. He focuses particularly on the qualities of the American citizen and government, as suggested by the Papers.

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Professors John Moser and David Tucker discuss the development of the presidency as an institution in the United States, looking at the intentions of the Founding Fathers in creating the institution and what it has evolved into over time.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session nine, and select either the RealAudio image or link in the gray bar to the left of the main body of text.

Professor Gordon Lloyd looks at the Constitutional Convention and the debate over what form the new government and its constitution should take. He examines the final Constitution arrived at. This lecture continues from the lecture "Constitutional Convention II: The Convention in Crisis."

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session six, and select the RealAudio image or text in the gray bar to the left of the main text.

Professor Gordon Lloyd looks at the Constitutional Convention and the debate over what form the new government and its constitution should take. He examines the Connecticut Compromise. This lecture continues from the lecture "Constitutional Convention I: Debating the Virginia Plan."

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session five, and select the RealAudio image or link in the gray bar to the left of the main body of text.