The Supreme Court, the single most important long-term part of the federal government, has always done things under the radar that do not often get recognized until decades later. Whether it may be the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, or the Civil Rights Cases of the 1870s and 1880s, there have always been decisions made by SCOTUS that have shaped the rest of American history. But, of all the decisions of 1803, including the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison was nowhere near as important as the decision that was never officially made: the decision to block the Louisiana Purchase.
After striking up a deal with France to buy what we know today as the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson was struggling to figure out what would happen with the legal repercussions in the United States. Being such a constructionist with the Constitution, he strayed away from his initial idea of enacting a constitutional amendment for fear that Napoleon might back away from this deal of $15 million.
Jefferson and his coalition then made a new argument stating that the current constitutional provision that allowed for governing territory inherently allowed for there to be a right to acquire territory that would be governed by the United States. This very constitutional argument outside the bounds of what had been established was new for Jefferson, but in taking this stance, he saw a once in a nation's history chance to expand the US. The Senate was able to gather the votes and support the spending necessary to acquire the territory
Where does the Supreme Court come into this situation? Well, without affirming this decision that Jefferson's legal reasoning for buying the Louisiana Purchase, there would be no possible way for the US to add this land to the country. Had the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, not actually supported and affirmed the legal basis for the purchase, there can be an argument to be made that there would be no superpower today. There would be no global center for democracy that would span larger than the East Coast. The United States we know today would have never been possible had the Supreme Court affirmed the decision for the Supreme Court.
So if anyone asks about the most important cases of the early 1800s, even 1803, the answer is not Marbury v. Madison. The true decision, which was never a true case, was the court's decision to affirm the Louisiana Purchase, the most important land purchase arguably in world history.
Sources:
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-louisiana-purchase-jeffersons-constitutional-gamble
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Senate_Approves_Louisiana_Purchase_Treaty.htm
Noah, it was interesting to see this take on the Supreme Court and Louisiana Purchase. I think it's clear that the Purchase allowed America to become the superpower it is today, and I personally believe that this makes it one of the most crucial landmarks in history. However, if the Supreme Court hadn't approved the purchase it would be interesting to speculate what would have happened. Considering the Court was pretty weak, could Jefferson have possibly tried to go around them? Perhaps, after Napoleon loses to the British, Louisiana becomes Britain's and the War of 1812 has larger consequences? Maybe slavery might have died out sooner because there was no where to spread it to? And the list goes on. Fortunately or unfortunately, we will never know, but I think analyzing turning points like this can help us better understand their significance and historical trends in general.
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