The Cambridge History of Law in America (Volume 1) Early America (1580–1815)

Volume 1 of The Cambridge History of Law in America begins the account of law in America with the very first moments of European colonization and settlement of the North American landmass. It follows those processes across two hundred years to the eventual creation and stabilization of the American republic. The book discusses the place of law in regard to colonization and empire, indigenous peoples, government and jurisdiction, population migrations, economic and commercial activity, religion, the creation of social institutions, and revolutionary politics. The Cambridge History of Law in America has been made possible by the generous support of the American Bar Foundation.

• Presented in the great tradition of collectively written Cambridge histories, The Cambridge History of Law in America brings together sixty scholars - all the leading historians of law in the United States - to chart our accumulated knowledge of law in America from the first European contacts at the end of the sixteenth century through the early twenty-first century

• These three volumes put on display all the intellectual vitality and variety of the best that American legal history has to offer

• These books present an original, comprehensive and authoritative account of the present understanding and range of interpretation of the history of American law