The Creation of American Common Law, 1850-1880: Technology, Politics, and the Construction of Citizenship

America developed its own system of the "common law" (the name for legal principles developed by judges) in the mid-nineteenth century, abandoning the legal system inherited from England. This comparative study of the development of American law contrasts the experiences of North and South by a study of Illinois and Virginia, supported by observations from six states. It has an original comparative focus highlighting the connections between legal development, American political thought, and...