Noteworthy Court Cases of the 1920s Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. During and after WW1, a wave of xenophobia swept over the United States. Several states passed laws criminalizing the teaching of foreign languages in both public and parochial schools. One of those states was Nebraska where, in 1920 in a one-room schoolhouse, Robert Meyer defied the law and taught German to a 10-year-old boy. He was arrested and convicted. Nebraska appellate courts upheld the conviction. Meyer filed a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court. What precedent was set by the Court's ruling in Meyer v Nebraska?

Answer: The Nebraska statute violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment in that it denied parents their constitutional right to control the education of their children

The Court in Meyer found the Nebraska statute to be in violation of the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment by denying parental control over their children's education. This marked the first time the Court had applied the Due Process Clause to a non-economic matter. Its ruling opened the door to other uses of the Clause in cases involving personal liberties.

The Nebraska Act had been passed after World War I as part of the English only movement and during a time of anti-German sentiment, and spy scare paranoia promoted by news media. Nebraska was one of 22 states that had enacted laws banning or restricting foreign language instruction.

2. Gitlow v. U.S. (1925) was a landmark decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court because it was the first case to apply the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech clause to the states. By doing so, the Court opened the door for the inclusion of other portions of the Bill of Rights to be applied to the states. What is this "doctrine" called?

Answer: Incorporation Doctrine

Benjamin Gitlow a New York socialist leader was convicted under state law of publishing a Left-Wing Manifesto, which advocated revolution thru mass action. This case must be put in context. The first "Red Scare" was occurring, and WWI had just ended.

The Court upheld Gitlow's conviction on the basis that governments may restrict or punish speech "containing or advocating, advising or teaching the doctrine that organized government should be overthrown by force, violence or any unlawful means."

The Court went on to say that not all speech is protected by the First Amendment, The Court said that states have a right to protect their respective governments. The Court also stated as a matter of doctrine that it would begin to "incorporate" portions of the First Amendment and apply them to the states on a case-by-case basis through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

3. Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's rise from a farm in Kansas to stardom in Hollywood was astronomical. Having weighted 13 pounds at birth, he weighted 266 pounds in 1921 when he threw a party at a San Francisco hotel. A young starlet named Virginia Rapp attended and was later found dead in Arbuckle's room. Arbuckle was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Which of the following statements about the subsequent trial is FALSE.

Answer: Arbuckle was convicted but served no jail time because of his celebrity

In spite of a weak case, the San Francisco DA tried Arbuckle three times (the DA was running for mayor). The third time the jury was out five minutes before returning with a "not guilty" verdict. The newspapers covered the trials in minute detail. Many in the public thought this was an example of Hollywood excess (Arbuckle commanded a one million dollar salary) and Hollywood shunned Arbuckle as a result. Virginia Rapp had a distended colon which burst, causing her death four days after the party.

The speculation was that when Arbuckle landed on her, his weight caused the rupture.

4. What law was John Scopes, a high school science teacher, accused of violating in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925?

Answer: Teaching human evolution in a public school

The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes became known as the "Scopes Monkey Trial". On trial was John Scopes, a high school science teacher accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in public schools.

None other than Clarence Darrow was Scopes' defense attorney and the prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan, a three-time presidential candidate.

The trial highlighted the conflict between evolutionary theory and creationism in America. Though Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, the verdict was later overturned on a technicality.

5. In Carroll v. U.S. the Court established the doctrine of "hot pursuit". True or false?

Answer: False

False. Carroll v. U.S. (1925) established the "automobile exception" to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement. The Court held that the police may search a vehicle without a warrant if they can articulate probable cause to do so and there are exigent circumstances which would inhibit obtaining a search warrant.

6. Two married women murdered their boyfriend/husband in Chicago in 1924. Both were acquitted. Both trials were covered by the same Chicago Tribune reporter. Who was the reporter who went on to become a playwright?

Answer: Maureen Watkins

Beulah Annan and cabaret singer Belva Gaertner were the two women. Both women played to the jury and the press as femme fatales. Despite evidence suggesting their guilt, both were acquitted. The Chicago Tribune reporter was Maureen Dallas Watkins. She went to the Yale School of Drama and wrote a play based on the trials. That play was "Chicago", which itself later became a successful musical.

7. In 1920 Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, anarchists and Italian immigrants, were arrested for attempting to overthrow the U.S. Government. They were convicted and sentenced to death.

Answer: False

False. Sacco and Vanzetti were charged with the murders of the paymaster of a shoe factory and his guard.

The trial took place during a period of intense anti-immigrant sentiment. The Red Scare of the early 20th century made the American public fearful of communism and anarchism, and Sacco and Vanzetti were seen as symbols of these perceived threats.

Many people believed that Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted more for their political beliefs and ethnic backgrounds than for the actual evidence against them. The case revealed issues of prejudice and discrimination in the judicial system.

The trial attracted international attention, and the executions spawned protests and demonstrations worldwide.

8. In 1924 Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks. Both Leopold and Loeb came from upper class families, attended the University of Chicago and were intellectually gifted. Their "motive" was to commit the "perfect crime". Which of the following statements is UNTRUE.

Answer: Both were executed

Leopold (18 years old) and Loeb (19 years old) were sentenced to life imprisonment plus 99 years. The trial captivated the public and media, not only because of the sensational nature of the crime but also because of the defense led by Clarence Darrow, who argued passionately (for over 12 hours) against the death penalty for those defendants with psychological abnormalities (the two were involved in a homosexual relationship with each other).

This case aroused discussions on criminal responsibility, the legal system's approach to mental health, and the treatment of young offenders.

9. The administration of Warren G. Harding is synonymous with political corruption. The most well-known example is the Teapot Dome Scandal. The subsequent trial resulted in the conviction of what Harding administration official?

Answer: Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall

The Teapot Dome scandal, which erupted in the early 1920s, was a major political corruption case involving the illegal leasing of federal oil reserves. The scandal centered around Albert B. Fall, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Warren G. Harding. Fall secretly leased the Teapot Dome oil reserve in Wyoming and the Elk Hills reserve in California to private oil companies without competitive bidding, in exchange for bribes totalling around $400,000.

The scandal was exposed through investigative journalism and Congressional hearings, leading to Fall's conviction for bribery and conspiracy in 1929.

The Teapot Dome scandal severely tarnished the Harding administration's reputation and became a symbol of government corruption and the need for greater transparency and oversight in federal dealings.

10. An Oregon law held that children must attend public schools. This law effectively banned children from attending private and parochial schools. The Supreme Court found the law to be unconstitutional. What was the name of the case?

Answer: Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925)

In 1925 the Supreme Court ruled in Pierce v. Society of Sisters that the Oregon law violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. The law interfered with the rights of parents to conduct the education of their children.

Source: Author ncterp

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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The Roaring 20s had it all: flappers, gangsters, political corruption and the Big Crash. The decade also had several criminal court cases that had an impact on society and justice in America. Here's a look at a few of them.

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