American Legal History: Cases and Materials

I read this for a class and in all honesty, it is a great read whether or not its for a class or just for fun. It gives a survey of the important and sometimes well known cases. It's a perfect addition to any bookshelf. Especially those bookshelves of law students, history students, and history buffs. There is a newer addition out there, which people may want to purchase instead of this one. I really enjoyed reading this. It layed the cases out so it was easy to udnerstand and if you were looking for one particular cases it was easy to find. I definitely recommend this.

Many people reading this book will be law students, but even for those who aren't, Kermit Hall's collection is a terrific resource for readers of history and politics. In a real sense, if you're looking for a "road map" to see how America got to where it is, the "legal" history in many respects trumps military, political and economic histories. Here you'll find ll the usual suspects - Magna Charta, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Colonial Charters, the American Revolution, Dred Scott, Griswald, Miranda, Roe v. Wade. Expect the next edition to carry Bush v. Gore.

This is a terrific book. I use it for teaching Law & Public Policy to political science masters students. The authors have done a great job winnowing the dusty tomes of legal history to the essential nuggets. In addition to the classics, they've selected some hilarious "voice of the people" sources one might never come across in standard legal history texts. I really enjoy this book!