| Description |
xvii, 149 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm. |
| Series |
Very short introductions
|
| Summary |
""Law," in this book, includes basic common law subjects (such as property, torts, and contracts), as well as statutory and constitutional issues, 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. It includes the evolving status and roles of members of the legal profession as influential figures in American culture. Understanding the importance of law in American society begins with recognition of the multiple dimensions of "legal" activity. Law, over the course of American history, has reflected the changing cultural settings in which legal decisions have been made, and has helped shape those settings. 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 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, providing a framework into which future political, economic, social, and intellectual issues would be set. As the example suggests, law has not been only a cultural artifact in the history of American civilization, but also a causal agent in the unfolding of that history"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-134) and index. |
| Contents |
The legal history of Indian tribes -- Law and African-American slavery -- Rights of property and their regulation -- Law and entrepreneurship -- Criminal law -- Law and domestic relations -- Civil injuries and the law of torts -- Legal education and the legal profession. |
| Subject |
Law -- United States -- History.
|
| ISBN |
9780199766000 paperback alkaline paper |
|
0199766002 paperback alkaline paper |
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