American Legal History
A Very Short Introduction
G. Edward White
Series : Very Short Introductions
This Very Short Introduction pivots on an expansive definition of law and the relationship of law to its historical context. "Law," in this book, includes not only basic common law subjects (such as property, torts, and contracts), but statutory and constitutional issues as well, including issues
associated with gender, race, and domestic relations. The domain of law also includes foundational issues of American political and social theory, such as sovereignty, liberty, equality, and criminal justice. Finally, it includes the evolving status and roles of members of the legal profession -
private practitioners, government lawyers, judges, and legal educators - as influential figures in American culture.
Understanding the importance of law in American society thus begins with recognition of the multiple dimensions of "legal" activity. It also follows from a second
recognition: that law, over the course of American history, has not just reflected the changing cultural settings in which legal decisions have been made, but has helped shape those settings. To take just one example, the Constitution of the United States was drafted in response to a set of
political, economic, social, and intellectual concerns held by some late eighteenth-century Americans. Those concerns centered on the structural and functional efficacy of the form of federal government created by the Articles of Confederation in 1781, and were thus a product of a particular set of
historical experiences. But once the Constitution was drafted and ratified, an authoritative legal document had recast the form and structure of American government, thereby providing a framework into which future political, economic, social, and intellectual issues would be set. As the example
suggests, law has not simply been a cultural artifact in the history of American civilization. It has also been a causal agent in the unfolding of that history.
About the Series:
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range
of subjects - from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative - yet always balanced and complete - discussions of the central issues in a given
discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and
abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Readership : Suitable for educated lay persons, people with a general interest in the functioning of the American legal system, its history, and its relationship to the historical treatment of non-Anglo-Europeans living on the continent. People who have read other books by G. Edward White and are interested
in adding this book to their libraries.
List of illustrations
Introduction
1. The legal history of Indian tribes
2. Law and African-American slavery
3. Rights of property and their regulation
4. Law and entrepreneurship
5. Criminal law and the treatment of criminals
6. Law and domestic relations
7. Civil
injuries and the law of torts
8. Legal education and the legal profession
References
Further reading
Index
There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.
G. Edward White is David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law and University Professor at the University of Virginia.
Special Features
- New short and accessible format on topics that have only been dealt with in densely academic texts before.
- Useful to legal professionals as well as lay readers.
- Deals with the historic role of law throughout American history, including issues of property, contracts, crime, business,
and race.
- Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over six million copies sold worldwide.