Gibbons V. Ogden
Background Information
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Date: 1824
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Summary: It all started with the state of New York granting specific
water license to Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston. These two
people were granted an exclusive right, by the state, to navigate
steam boats with in the New York state line. Ogden Bought a share
of Livingston’s steam boat monopoly and through this purchase
Ogden got permission (from Livingston) to navigate the waters of
New York. Another man, named Thomas Gibbons, decided that he
wanted to run steam boats from New Jersey to New York and did so
by bypassing the monopolies of Fulton, Livingston, and Ogden. After
Gibbons began doing this, Ogden convinced the New York state
court to ban Gibbons from accessing New York water ways.
Gibbons was not happy with this ruling and decided to sue Ogden.
How Would You Decide?
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This court case, while seeming quite simple on the outside, was
actually a very intense ruling, deciding whether state commerce is a
federal or state issue. On one hand you could side with Ogden and
turn state commerce into a monopoly type system (being ran by
state). On the other hand you could side with the Gibbons (the
federal government) and turn state commerce into a laissez-faire,
governmental, issue. If you side with the state regulation of
commerce then it opens up for potential corruption as states might
(and did) side with big businesses with big amounts of money. If you
side with the federal government then you could be supporting
non-regulated travel because the federal government cant watch
over all travel.
Important Questions
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Who regulates interstate commerce; the federal or state
governments?
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Should states be given the right to control interstate commerce?
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Is it constitutional for monopolies to run government?
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What defines interstate commerce?
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Who decides what interstate commerce is?
Supreme Court Decision
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In the end the supreme court technically sided with Gibbons
although it was more complex than that. Gibbons was granted the
right to traverse through New York in his steamboat but the reason
was kind of unexpected. The supreme court ruled that Article 1,
Section 8 of the Constitution (Congress has the power to regulate
commerce with foreign nations, and among several states, and with
Indian tribes) implied that the Federal Government has power to
regulate interstate commerce. The supreme court justified that:
since the steam boats were operating in between states it was a
federal regulation. As a result of this case, the monopolies granted
by New York state were in a sense shut down (for this matter).
Significance
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This case was very significant in defining interstate commerce. If you
look at the case in whole, the ruling actually prevented big business
from controlling the interstate economy. If monopolies could be
granted the right to control travel, then they could also be
controlling trade. The federal government shut down the use of
monopolies in this case in order to, in the end, help the greater
good. This case marked a victory for the federal government,
granting them more power and a grip on state powers.
Recap Quiz
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1) When did this case occur?
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2)What was the overarching question, relating to this court case?
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3)What form of government did each person involved in this case
represent?
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4) What was the concluding decision over this case?
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5) Who technically one this court case?
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6) What was the significance of this court case (the big picture)?
Works Cited
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"Gibbons v. Ogden." Gibbons v. Ogden. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan.
2017.
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"Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court." Home. N.p., n.d. Web.
30 Jan. 2017.