A casebook that interrelates American legal history and constitutional history in 12 chapters: American colonial legal history; constitutions of revolutionary America; Philadelphia convention and Federal Constitution; shaping the Constitution; the formative era of American law; family law in early America; vested rights and due process of law; tort law in industrializing America; the Fourteenth Amendment and substantive due process; corporation, trust, and Sherman Act; freedom of contract, interstate commerce and the New Deal; and epilogue. Introductory comments and notes provide background information and connect the topics. Published by Austin and Winfield, PO Box 2590, San Francisco, CA 94126. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Documents in American Constitutional and Legal History is a two-volume companion to Urofsky and Finkelman's March of Liberty. This reader provides students with a mix of both frequently cited and lesser-known but equally important historical documents and court decisions that have shaped the nation's constitutional development, beginning with its colonization and extending to the latest decisions of the Supreme Court. Each volume is organised chronologically, and the authors have placing it in its historical context. Each document is also accompanied by a brief list of suggestions for further readings. In addition, the complete text of the U.S. Constitutions is contained in both volumes for easy

This book explains how the debate over originalism emerged from the interaction of constitutional theory, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and American political development. Refuting the contention that originalism is a recent concoction of political conservatives like Robert Bork, Johnathan O'Neill asserts that recent appeals to the origin of the Constitution in Supreme Court decisions and commentary, especially by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, continue an established pattern in American history. Originalism in American Law and Politics is distinguished by its historical approach to the topic. Drawing on constitutional commentary and treatises, Supreme Court and lower federal court opinions, congressional hearings, and scholarly monographs, O'Neill's work will be valuable to historians, academic lawyers, and political scientists.

This new coursebook introduces students to the relationship among the American constitutional, governmental, and legal systems. With a clear and concise presentation, this book explores historical and contemporary events, judicial opinions, and constitutional provisions that demonstrate how the three systems accommodate social progress in an ever-changing and highly diverse nation. Perfect for LLM courses or even undergraduate classes, this book aims to teach students how to understand constitutional doctrines, brief judicial opinions, and how American history affects contemporary legal issues. Features: Clear and concise presentation and logical organization of material making it an excellent introductory book to the American legal system Inclusion of modern cases on relevant topics, such as same-sex marriage, legalization of marijuana, and homicidal laws affecting juveniles Chapter questions that facilitate basic legal analysis through hypotheticals, opinion briefing, and application of constitutional provisions Inclusion of important historical and political events, such as lawsuits brought against Presidents, congressional impeachment powers, the Electoral College System, the Supreme Court s resolution of voting issues, the Civil War and post Civil War constitutional amendments, the Civil Rights movement, presidential and congressional war powers, and Supreme Court opinions about Guantanamo Bay detainees

This is the standard reader in American law and constitutional development. The selections demonstrate that the legal order, once defined by society, helps in molding the various forces of the social life of that society. The essays cover the entire period of the American experience, from the colonies to postindustrial society. Additions to this enlarged edition include essays by Michael Parrish on the Depression and the New Deal; Abram Chayes on the role of the judge in public law litigation; David Vogel on social regulation; Harry N. Scheiber on doctrinal legacies and institutional innovations in the relation between law and the economy; and Lawrence M. Friedman on American legal history.

Designed to encourage critical thinking about history, the Major Problems series introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in US history.This collection, designed to be the primary anthology for the introductory survey course, covers the entire chronological span of Constitutional history.Tracing the historical development of American constitutional thought, the Second Edition of this anthology presents the documents critical to constitutional development, including actual legal texts as well as the reactions of prominent legal minds.