The Earliest Supreme Court | National Humanities Center

Humanities in Class: Webinar Series

The Earliest Supreme Court

Legal History; Political History; American History; Supreme Court of the United States; United States of America

Sally E. Hadden (NHC Fellow, 2023–24; Professor of History, Western Michigan University)

October 29, 2024

Advisor(s): Ryan Hurley and Luke Sundermeier, NHC Teacher Advisory Council

The durability of American government institutions can lull us into a false sense that they never change. Did you know that governors and legislatures made judicial decisions in early America, and in many colonies, legislatures fought with governors to determine which would be the highest court of appeal? Or that John Locke considered the three core functions of government to be executive, legislative, and federative—not judicial?

This webinar examines the creation of the first US Supreme Court and explores court structures that preceded it in colonial and Revolutionary America. By its conclusion, you will understand how the “the judiciary” had been folded into other government functions and only gradually separated from what we now call “the executive” and “the legislature.”


Subjects

Political Science / History / Legal History / Political History / American History / Supreme Court of the United States / United States of America /

Rights

Creative Commons License
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