Procedures

• STEP 1.

  As a class, view the following videos and the questions below to lay the foundation for students to understand this case:

  VIDEO CLIP: Background (4:38)

  VIDEO CLIP: Importance of the Steel Industry (3:00)

  VIDEO CLIP: President Truman's Decision to Seize the Steel Industry (5:21)

  • Describe the significance of the Korean War and the lack of a formal declaration of war in the Youngstown Steel Case.

  • Explain President Truman's relationship with the public and his approval rating during this time.

  • What was the state of the economy at this time? What effect did it have on this case? In what way is this case about power?

  • Describe President Truman's relationship with Congress and how that influenced this case.

  • Describe the steel industry and its importance to cities like Youngstown, OH and the U.S. during this time.

  • Explain why the steel workers wanted to go on strike.

  • Explain the advice that President Truman was receiving regarding the steel industry.

  • What did the Council of Economic Advisers say to President Truman? What effect did it have on the decision?

  • Describe President Truman's message to the U.S. explaining his takeover of the Steel Industry.

  • Explain the events that followed President Truman's speech. What were the basic arguments of each side?

• STEP 2.

  Students can either work independently or in groups to view the following video clips. They should take notes using the handout below:

  Handout: Supreme Court Case: Youngstown Sheet and Tube v. Sawyer (Google Doc)

• VIDEO CLIP: Path to the Supreme Court (6:10)

  • Explain the government's initial argument in the district court and how it affected the case then and going forward.

  • How did this case differ from similar cases involving government power during Franklin Roosevelt's term?

  • Describe the decision of the lower federal court.

  • Explain how the case progresses to the Supreme Court following the lower court decision.

  • Why did this case get to the Supreme Court so quickly?

• VIDEO CLIP: Two Key Questions (2:15)

  • What were the specific questions before the Supreme Court? How did the Court rule on those questions?

• VIDEO CLIP: The Framework for Executive Action (3:07)

  • Explain the three benchmarks that were established in Justice Jackson's concurrence.

• VIDEO CLIP: Legacy of the Case (1:08)

  • According to Professor Howell, what is at the heart of this case?

  • In the opinion of Professor Gerhardt, why is this a historic case ?

• STEP 3.

  As a class, discuss the significance of this case, the precedent it set, and its legacy.

• STEP 4.

  Choose an activity from C-SPAN Classroom's Deliberations site to engage in a structured student-centered analysis of the case.