McCulloch v. Maryland Article & Review | Landmark Supreme Court Cases for Civics and American History

Teaching McCulloch v. Maryland in your Civics, American Government, or American History class? This McCulloch v. Maryland Reading Passage, Comprehension Review, and Vocab Match introduces middle and high school students to the landmark Supreme Court that helped define the powers of Congress. This print-and-go lesson covers the key vocab and main ideas around McCulloch, such as Congress’s Delegated Powers, Implied Powers, Reserved Powers, federalism, the Tenth Amendment, and the Constitution’s Necessary and Proper Clause and Supremacy Clause. Everything you need for a complete lesson in McCulloch v. Maryland is included!

Aligned to the Florida State Standards for Middle School Civics (and easily applicable to other states as well):

• SS.7.CG.3.11: Analyze the effects of landmark Supreme Court decisions on law, liberty and the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. 

This McCulloch v. Maryland Article & Review | Landmark Supreme Court Cases for Civics and American History resource includes:

✯ A 3-Page McCulloch v. Maryland Article. This engaging reading passage introduces students to some challenging vocabulary as it teaches them about the historical context and lasting impact of the landmark Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland.

Vocabulary includes: Federalism, Delegated Powers, Implied Powers, and Reserved Powers, the Tenth Amendment, Supremacy Clause, Necessary and Proper Clause, State Sovereignty, McCulloch v. Maryland.

✯ A 2-page McCulloch v. Maryland Comprehension Review. Students’ comprehension of the reading passage’s main ideas and key vocabulary terms are tested.

Sample questions include:

• What is the Supremacy Clause and how did it apply to McCulloch v. Maryland? 
• How do Congress’s implied powers differ from their delegated powers?
• What were the two Constitutional Questions the Supreme Court was asked to answer in McCulloch v. Maryland?

✯ Finally, the 2-page McCulloch v. Maryland Vocabulary Match. Students cut-and-paste vocabulary words and definitions onto a graphic organizer, then illustrate each word! This reinforces key vocabulary and gives them a handy tool for studying!

Sample vocabulary in the Vocab Match includes: Delegated, Reserved, and Implied Powers of Congress, Federalism, the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Supremacy Clause, the Tenth Amendment.

This resource is a complete lesson on McCulloch v. Maryland that hits on a ton of important topics for any Civics or American Government curriculum, like the powers of Congress, judicial review, federalism, state sovereignty vs. the powers of the federal government, and so much more! This can be a tricky case for students to remember, but I hope this helps hammer home the importance and lasting impact of this historic Supreme Court decision!

This resource is presented as a non-editable, printable PDF. An answer key is included.

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