HIST 346: Law and Society in America

Law and Society in America

Law and lawyers have powerfully shaped American values and institutions. While monarchs, colonial and state governors, and legislatures pressed for the formation of the law, most people understood the law through their local officers and courts. Using a comparative framework this course explores law's impact on American society from the age of European colonization through the present. Key topics include liberty, public order, race and ethnicity, the family, property, speech, environment, and self-government. The course also examines the changing images of lawyers and the law over time. Course materials include not just statutes and court decisions, but personal papers, literature, imagery, and popular culture materials.