Items related to Law and People in Colonial America
How did American colonists transform British law into their own? What were the colonies' first legal institutions, and who served in them? Did the special issue of gender play a significant role? Why did the early Americans develop a passion for litigation that continues to this day? In Law and People in Colonial America Peter Charles Hoffer tells the story of early American law from its beginnings in the British mainland to its maturation in the crisis of the American Revolution.
For the men and women of colonial America, Hoffer explains, law was a pervasive influence in everyday life. Because it was their law, the colonists continually adapted it to fit changing circumstances. They also developed a sense of legalism that influenced virtually all social, economic, and political relationships. This sense of intimacy with the law, Hoffer argues, assumed a transforming power in times of crisis. In the midst of a war for independence, American revolutionaries labored to explain how their rebellion could be lawful, while legislators wrote republican constitutions that would endure for centuries.
Today the role of law in American life is more pervasive than ever. And because our system of law involves a continuing dialogue between past and present interpreting the meaning of precedent and of past legislation the study of legal history is a vital part of every citizen's basic education. Law and People in Colonial America provides an essential, rigorous, and lively introduction to the beginnings of American law.
Peter Charles Hoffer is professor of history at the University of Georgia. His previous books include The Law's Conscience, Impeachment in America, Revolution and Regeneration, and Murdering Mothers: Infanticide in England and New England, 1558-1803.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
From Library Journal:
Peter Charles Hoffer is Research Professor of History at the University of Georgia and author of numerous books on early American law and history.
Hoffer attempts to add to our understanding of American legal history by examining how the American colonists transformed an existing body of British law into a truly unique American product. His themes are twofold: the reformist impulse coming to fruition in the revolutionary period of 1763-76; and the blurring of distinctions between public authority and justice that have remained controversial even to this date. So little readable American legal history is available. One exception is Lawrence Friedman's History of American Law (S. & S., 1986. 2d rev. ed.). Now we have Hoffer's small work. Although focusing on colonial America, the book is highly recommended to the reader seeking an understanding of the development of American law. See Morton Horwitz, below, for a broader perspective.
- Jerry E. Stephens, U.S. Court of Appeals Lib., Oklahoma City
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Jerry E. Stephens, U.S. Court of Appeals Lib., Oklahoma City
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherThe Johns Hopkins University Press
- Publication date1992
- ISBN 10 0801843065
- ISBN 13 9780801843068
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages176
- Rating
(No Available Copies)
Search Books: Create a WantIf you know the book but cannot find it on AbeBooks, we can automatically search for it on your behalf as new inventory is added. If it is added to AbeBooks by one of our member booksellers, we will notify you!
Create a Want