HIS 277 American Legal History

3 hours 

An analysis of the forces and circumstances that have influenced the course of American civil, criminal, and Constitutional law from the 17^th century to the present. The course concentrates on the change from English-based common law through the rise of industrial capitalism in the late 19^th century and the development of the modern welfare state in the 20^th century and emphasizes such developments as the growth of the contract and corporate law, the use of litigation as an economic weapon, the rise of an independent judiciary and the ensuing conflict with the legislatures of both nation and state, the role of the legal profession in shaping the legal system, and the social role of law in American life.