The Supreme Court, the Slaughter-House Cases, and the Retreat from Reconstruction The 2012 Joanna Dunlap Cowden Memorial Lecture given by University of Maryland History Professor Michael Ross. Entitled “The Supreme Court, the Slaughter-House Cases, and the Retreat from Reconstruction,” the lecture tackles a long-standing debate of whether the Supreme Court intentionally underminded African-Americans’ rights during Reconstruction. Many historians have argued so, but Ross suggests otherwise in this talk based on his prizewinning biography of the justice who penned the majority opinion in the pivotal Slaughter-House Cases decision. (Javascript is required to view Mediasite content)