Legal History Book List

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Cover of The Black Laws

The Black Laws

Race and the Legal Process in Early Ohio

By Stephen Middleton

Beginning in 1803, the Ohio legislature enacted what came to be known as the Black Laws. These laws instituted barriers against blacks entering the state and placed limits on black testimony against whites.…

Cover of Black Lawyers, White Courts

Black Lawyers, White CourtsOn Sale

The Soul of South African Law

By Kenneth S. Broun

In the struggle against apartheid, one often overlooked group of crusaders was the coterie of black lawyers who overcame the Byzantine system that the government established oftentimes explicitly to block the paths of its black citizens from achieving justice.…


Cover of Closing Arguments

Closing Arguments

Clarence Darrow on Religion, Law, and Society

By Clarence Darrow
Edited by S. T. Joshi

Clarence Darrow, son of a village undertaker and coffinmaker, rose to become one of America's greatest attorneys—and surely its most famous. The Ohio native gained renown for his central role in momentous trials, including his 1924 defense of Leopold and Loeb and his defense of Darwinian principles in the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial.…

Cover of Democratic Reform in Africa

Democratic Reform in Africa

Its Impact on Governance and Poverty Alleviation

Edited by Muna Ndulo

Democratic reform in Africa has been slow, difficult, and at times painful. Nevertheless, sufficient time has passed for those interested in political and economic development to assess what progress, if any, Africa has made in addressing the need for the consolidation of democratic reform and the resolution of considerable developmental challenges.…


Cover of The Fairer Death

The Fairer Death

Executing Women in Ohio

By Victor L. Streib

Women on death row are such a rarity that, once condemned, they may be ignored and forgotten. Ohio, a typical, middle-of-the-road death penalty state, provides a telling example of this phenomenon. The Fairer Death: Executing Women in Ohio explores Ohio’s experience with the death penalty for women and reflects on what this experience reveals about the death penalty for women throughout the nation.…

Cover of Frontiers of Freedom

Frontiers of Freedom

Cincinnati’s Black Community 1802–1868

By Nikki M. Taylor

Nineteenth-century Cincinnati was northern in its geography, southern in its economy and politics, and western in its commercial aspirations. While those identities presented a crossroad of opportunity for native whites and immigrants, African Americans endured economic repression and a denial of civil rights, compounded by extreme and frequent mob violence.…


Cover of The History of Indiana Law

The History of Indiana Law

Edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Randall T. Shepard

Long regarded as a center for middle-American values, Indiana is also a cultural crossroads that has produced a rich and complex legal and constitutional heritage. The History of Indiana Law traces this history through a series of expert articles by identifying the themes that mark the state’s legal development and establish its place within the broader context of the Midwest and nation.…

Cover of The History of Michigan Law

The History of Michigan Law

Edited by Paul Finkelman and Martin J. Hershock

The History of Michigan Law offers the first serious survey of Michigan's rich legal past. Michigan legislators have played a leading role in developing modern civil rights law, protecting the environment, and assuring the right to counsel for those accused of crimes.…


Cover of The History of Nebraska Law

The History of Nebraska Law

Edited by Alan G. Gless

In the aftermath of the Civil War, legislators in the Nebraska Territory grappled with the responsibility of forming a state government as well as with the larger issues of reconstructing the Union, protecting civil rights, and redefining federal-state relations.…

Cover of The History of Ohio Law

The History of Ohio Law

By Michael Les Benedict and John F. Winkler

History of Ohio Law is a complete sourcebook on the origin and development of Ohio law and its relationship to society. A model for work in this field, it is the starting point for any investigation of the subject.…


Cover of The Lê  Code

The Lê Code

Law in Traditional Vietnam

By Ngọc Huy Nguyễn, Tài Văn Ta and Binh Tu Tran

The Lê Code: Law in Traditional Vietnam is the first English translation of the penal code produced by Vietnam’s Lê Dynasty (1428-1788). The code itself was the culmination of a long process of political, social and legal development that extended into the period of the succeeding Nguyen Dynasty and, in many respects, into the twentieth century.…

Cover of Noble Purposes

Noble Purposes

Nine Champions of the Rule of Law

Edited by Norman Gross

Throughout the history of the United States, the acts of a few have proved to be turning points in the way our legal system has treated the least of us. The nine individuals whose deeds are recounted have compelling stories, and though they remain unknown to the general public, their commitment to the rule of law has had a lasting impact on our nation.…


Cover of A Place of Recourse

A Place of Recourse

A History of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 1803-2003

By Roberta Sue Alexander

The first history of a federal district court in a midwestern state, A Place of Recourse explains a district court's function and how its mission has evolved. The court has grown from an obscure institution adjudicating minor debt and land disputes to one that plays a central role in the political, economic, and social lives of southern Ohioans.…

Cover of The Post-Apartheid Constitutions

The Post-Apartheid Constitutions

Perspectives on South Africa's Basic Law

Edited by Penelope Andrews and Stephen Ellmann

Offering a unique range of perspectives on South Africa's interim and final constitutions, this collection of essays by scholars, lawyers, and political leaders illuminates the many issues of process, substance, and context presented by the constitutions.…


Cover of The Rescue of Joshua Glover

The Rescue of Joshua Glover

A Fugitive Slave, the Constitution, and the Coming of the Civil War

By H. Robert Baker

On March 11, 1854, the people of Wisconsin prevented agents of the federal government from carrying away the fugitive slave, Joshua Glover. Assembling in mass outside the Milwaukee courthouse, they demanded that the federal officers respect his civil liberties as they would those of any other citizen of the state.…

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