American Legal History from 1876

Catalog description

Historical study of the development of American law since the Civil War. The course will cover such topics as the Civil War amendments to the Constitution; Reconstruction and its aftermath; legal change during the rise of industrialism; race and gender in late 19th century and 20th century America; law in the Progressive Era; the growth of civil liberties and civil rights in the Supreme Court; the law during war and the Depression; jurisprudential trends; and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The course will explore the effects of historical events on the development of law, but the course does not presume prior study of American history. Credit Hour : 1-3