Final Jeopardy: 19th Century Supreme Court Decisions (10-20-21)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (10/20/2021) in the category “19th Century Supreme Court Decisions” was:

The first “self-evident” truth in the Declaration of Independence was quoted & found not to apply to this plaintiff

7x champ Jonathan Fisher, an actor from Coral Gables, FL has now won $156,100. In Game 8, he is up against: Jack Hodges, a hotel loyalty analyst from Bethesda, MD; and Anjolie Chidambaram, a financial writer from San Francisco, CA.

Round 1 Categories: Boats & Ships – The State of the TV Show – Terms of Love & Endearment – “E”-Male – In Box – Drafts

Jonathan got the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Boats & Ships” under the $600 clue, with 8 clues left after it. He was in the lead with $6,600 now, $3,400 more than Anjolie in second place. He bet $1,600 and came up with rum runner. That was WRONG.

In 1854 Flying Cloud, this type of merchant ship, sailed from NYC to San Francisco in 89 days, a record that stood for 135 years. show

WHAT IS A CLIPPER?

Jonathan finished in the lead with $6,400. Anjolie was second with $3,200 and Jack was last with $600. No clues went uncovered.

Round 2 Categories: Bridal Waves – The Western Hemisphere – I Want to Suck Your Blood! – Mythology – Stairing at Movies – 2 Consonants, Then One Vowel

Jonathan landed on the first Daily Double in “Mythology” under the $1,600 clue on the 8th pick. He was in the lead with $13,200, $10,000 more than Anjolie in second place. He bet $3,200 and he was RIGHT.

With 2 faces, this Roman god had an eye on both the past & the future. show

WHO IS JANUS?

Anjolie found the last Daily Double in “Western Hemisphere” under the $1,200 clue with 8 clues left after it. In second place with $9,200, she had $12,400 less than Jonathan’s lead. She bet $8,000 and she was RIGHT.

For 647 miles, this westernmost of Canada’s 3 territories shares a straight-line border with Alaska. show

WHAT IS THE YUKON?

Jonathan finished in the lead with $27,200. Anjolie was second with $18,800 and Jack was last with $2,600. No clues went uncovered.

TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS DRED SCOTT?

From PBS.org: “Dred Scott first went to trial to sue for his freedom in 1847. Ten years later…his case was finally brought before the United States Supreme Court. In what is perhaps the most infamous case in its history, the court decided that all people of African ancestry — slaves as well as those who were free — could never become citizens of the United States and therefore could not sue in federal court. The court also ruled that the federal government did not have the power to prohibit slavery in its territories.”

At the time of the 7-2 decision, the makeup of the Supreme Court included 7 justices who had been appointed by pro-slavery Southern presidents. Five came from slave-holding families. The two dissenters were (1) Benjamin Robbins Curtis. He felt that striking down the Missouri Compromise cast doubt on Taney’s position that the Founders opposed anti-slavery laws; and (2) John McLean who believed that the court’s decision should have been limited to procedure. McLean further pointed out that men of African descent already had the right to vote in 5 states and therefore could be citizens. Click here for further info, including Taney’s position on “all men are created equal.”

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Jack got it right. He bet it all and doubled his score to $5,200.

Anjolie went with Madison from an earlier case. That cost her $18,000 and left her with $800.

Jonathan also got it right. He bet a healthy $10,500 and won the game with $37,700. That makes up for yesterday’s low payout. Jonathan’s 8-day total is $193,800.

A triple stumper from each round:

DRAFTS ($1000) Lost on an island before “Lost”, Simon is a bit of a precog in this 1954 novel, foreseeing his own death in an early draft

THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE ($800) Residents of this volcanic British island territory in the Caribbean call themselves Monstratians

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “World Leaders”

This man who ruled from 1949 to 1976 was sometimes called “the Red Sun” show

WHO IS MAO ZEDONG?

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