The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History

• Authoritative, accessible overviews on specific topics and general trends in American political, policy, and legal history
• Over 430 A-Z articles signed by expert scholars
• Covers the course of American political and legal history from its roots in English and European political thought to today
• Topical outline allows readers to search for entries in eleven thematic categories
• Numerous cross references guide readers to related entries
• Selective bibliographies for each entry direct readers to primary sources and important scholarly works, in any language
• Comprehensive index lists all the topics covered in the encyclopedia, including those that are not entry titles themselves
• Expands and updates The Oxford Companion to U.S. History (Paul Boyer, ed.)
• Over 200 new articles, in addition to the 240 revised and updated articles from the Companion

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History brings together, in one authoritative reference work, an unparalleled wealth of information about the laws, institutions, and actors that have governed America throughout its history. 

Embracing the interconnectedness of politics and law, The Encyclopedia addresses all aspects of both spheres, from presidents and Supreme Court justices to specifics of policy history, critical legislation, and party formation. Entries capture the unique nature of the nation's founding principles embodied in the Constitution, the expansive nature of American democracy, political conflict, and compromise, and the emergence of the modern welfare and regulatory state, all of which evince the tensions, contradictions, and possibilities manifest throughout America's history. Clearly demonstrating how US politics and law have evolved since the colonial era, The Encyclopedia encourages readers to anticipate further changes. 

With over 450 articles by expert scholars, each signed entry features numerous cross references and discussion of political and legal history as well as additional sources for further study. This two-volume A-to-Z compendium is a reference work of unparalleled depth and scope and will introduce a new generation of readers to the complexities of this dynamic field of study. It also features extensive cross-referencing, a topical outline, and a subject index.

Readership: College, graduate, scholars in the field, as well as general readers.