Final answer:
The Supreme Court cases involving Reese and Slaughterhouse were important because they limited the federal government's power to protect voting rights and civil rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court cases involving Reese and Slaughterhouse were important for different reasons.
Reese v. United States:
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting, only applied to national elections and not to local or state elections. This decision undermined the federal government's ability to protect the voting rights of African Americans.
Slaughterhouse Cases:
In the Slaughterhouse Cases, the Supreme Court limited the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted equal protection under the law to all citizens. The court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment only applied to state actions and not individual actions, which reduced the federal government's power to protect civil rights.