The Foundational Documents of the American Legal System PDF Download

Author: eLangdell Press
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Constitutional history
Languages : en
Pages : 39

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Author: U.S. Supreme Court
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 1128

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Book Description
Land of the Free: The Most Important Legal Documents That Built America We Know Today is a seminal anthology that brings together the foundational texts that have shaped American legal, social, and political landscapes. The collection spans a diverse range of genresfrom landmark Supreme Court decisions to pivotal legislative acts and presidential declarationsillustrating the multifaceted evolution of American jurisprudence and governance. Against the backdrop of the nations history, this anthology stands out for its inclusion of documents that have sparked significant socio-political transformations, shedding light on the narrative arcs of justice, freedom, and democracy in the United States. The works included serve as a testament to the enduring principles that continue to guide the nation, making this collection an indispensable resource for understanding the legal scaffolding of America as it stands today. The contributing authors, comprising entities like the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Government, and U.S. Congress, represent the pinnacle of American legal and legislative authority. Their collective contributions reflect pivotal moments in the development of American legal thought and democratic practice, spanning across centuries of legislation, court rulings, and constitutional amendments. This anthology aligns with significant historical, cultural, and legal movements, offering readers a comprehensive view of the development of legal frameworks that underpin American society. The editors have meticulously curated a collection that not only underscores the historical import of each document but also how these legal milestones collectively contribute to the ongoing narrative of American democracy and justice. Land of the Free is an essential read for anyone interested in the constitutional and legal foundations of the United States. It offers a unique opportunity to explore a multitude of perspectives, styles, and themes within a single volume, providing an educational journey through the pivotal documents that have defined the American legal and political landscape. Readers will find in this anthology a rich source of insight, historical context, and inspiration, making it a valuable addition to the libraries of scholars, legal professionals, and anyone fascinated by the evolution of American democracy and law.

Author: Kermit L. Hall
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195395426
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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This highly acclaimed text provides a comprehensive selection of the most important documents in American legal history, integrating the history of public and private law from America's colonial origins to the present. Devoting special attention to the interaction of social and legal change,American Legal History: Cases and Materials, Fourth Edition, shows how legal ideas developed in tandem with specific historical events and reveals a rich legal culture unique to America. The book also deals with state and federal courts and looks at the relationship between the development ofAmerican society, politics, and economy and how it relates to the evolution of American law. Introductions and instructive headnotes accompany each document, tying legal developments to broader historical themes and providing a social and political context essential to an understanding of thehistory of law in America.New to this Edition* New cases on hot-button issues including guns, education, terrorism, and same sex marriage and unions* Updated material on the War on Terror and the Supreme Court response to military trials* New material on the emerging laws surrounding transgendered people* Additional material on eminent domain and the Supreme Court's controversial decision in Kelo v. City of New LondonSetting the legal challenges of the twenty-first century in a broad context, American Legal History, Fourth Edition, is an indispensable text for students and teachers of constitutional and legal history, the judicial process, and the effects of society on law.

Author: Scott Abernathy
Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education
ISBN: 1319208843
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1717

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This new offering from AP® teacher Karen Waples and college professor Scott Abernathy is tailor-made to help teachers and students transition to the redesigned AP® U. S. Government and Politics course. Carefully aligned to the course framework, this brief book is loaded with instructional tools to help you and your students meet the demands of the new course, such as integrated skills instruction, coverage of required cases and documents, public policy threaded throughout the book, and AP® practice after every chapter and unit, all in a simple organization that will ease your course planning and save you time. We’ve got you covered! With a program specifically tailored for the new AP® framework and exam. With a brief student edition that students will read and enjoy. With pedagogy and features that prepare students for the AP® exam like no other book on the market. With a teacher edition and resources that save you time in transitioning to the new course. With professional development to help you transition your instruction.

Author: Alexander Hamilton
Publisher: Engage Classics
ISBN: 9781774761793
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 600

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The Founding Documents of the United States of America includes the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, all Amendments to the Constitution, The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, and Common Sense by Thomas Paine. The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 articles and essays written under the pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. The Federalist Papers are notable for their opposition to what later became the United States Bill of Rights. The idea of adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution was originally controversial because the Constitution, as written, did not specifically enumerate or protect the rights of the people, rather it listed the powers of the government and left all that remained to the states and the people. Alexander Hamilton, the author of Federalist No. 84, feared that such an enumeration, once written down explicitly, would later be interpreted as a list of the only rights that people had. Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine marshaled moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for egalitarian government. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution, and became an immediate sensation.

Author: Alexander Meiklejohn
Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
ISBN: 1584770872
Category : Freedom of speech
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Reprint of sole edition. Originally published: New York: Harper Brothers Publishers, [1948]. "Dr. Meiklejohn, in a book which greatly needed writing, has thought through anew the foundations and structure of our theory of free speech . . . he rejects all compromise. He reexamines the fundamental principles of Justice Holmes' theory of free speech and finds it wanting because, as he views it, under the Holmes doctrine speech is not free enough. In these few pages, Holmes meets an adversary worthy of him . . . Meiklejohn in his own way writes a prose as piercing as Holmes, and as a foremost American philosopher, the reach of his culture is as great . . . this is the most dangerous assault which the Holmes position has ever borne." --JOHN P. FRANK, Texas Law Review 27:405-412. ALEXANDER MEIKLEJOHN [1872-1964] was dean of Brown University from 1901-1913, when he became president of Amherst College. In 1923 Meiklejohn moved to the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where he set up an experimental college. He was a longtime member of the National Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1945 he was a United States delegate to the charter meeting of UNESCO in London. Lectureships have been named for him at Brown University and at the University of Wisconsin. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.

Author: Kermit L. Hall
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 740

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Revised and expanded in this third edition, American Legal History now features a new coauthor, James Ely, who is a specialist in the history of property rights. This highly acclaimed text provides a comprehensive selection of the most important documents in the field, which integrates the history of public and private law from America's colonial origins to the present. Devoting special attention to the interaction of social and legal change, it shows how legal ideas developed in tandem with specific historical events and reveals a rich legal culture unique to America. The book also deals with state and federal courts and looks at the relationship between the development of American society, politics, and economy, and how it relates to the evolution of American law. Introductions and instructive headnotes accompany each document, tying legal developments to broader historical themes and providing a social and political context essential to an understanding of the history of law in America. American Legal History, Third Edition, offers fresh material throughout and increased coverage of cases on such topics as slave law, politics, and terrorism. The authors have incorporated more cases dealing with minority rights, including Native American and Asian American rights, women's rights, and gender and gay rights. Two new chapters have been added to this edition: one on law and economics in modern America, including a discussion of the new federalism, and the other on law, politics, and terrorism, including a full discussion of the USA PATRIOT Act. The "since 1945" portion includes up-to-date material and current cases. The section on English background and colonial America has been expanded. In addition, there is new material on the most recent developments in American constitutional and legal history. Setting the legal challenges of the twenty-first century in a broad context, American Legal History, Third Edition, is an essential text for students and teachers of constitutional and legal history, the judicial process, and the effects of society on law.

Author: David A. Strauss
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199703698
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once remarked that the theory of an evolving, "living" Constitution effectively "rendered the Constitution useless." He wanted a "dead Constitution," he joked, arguing it must be interpreted as the framers originally understood it. In The Living Constitution, leading constitutional scholar David Strauss forcefully argues against the claims of Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork, and other "originalists," explaining in clear, jargon-free English how the Constitution can sensibly evolve, without falling into the anything-goes flexibility caricatured by opponents. The living Constitution is not an out-of-touch liberal theory, Strauss further shows, but a mainstream tradition of American jurisprudence--a common-law approach to the Constitution, rooted in the written document but also based on precedent. Each generation has contributed precedents that guide and confine judicial rulings, yet allow us to meet the demands of today, not force us to follow the commands of the long-dead Founders. Strauss explores how judicial decisions adapted the Constitution's text (and contradicted original intent) to produce some of our most profound accomplishments: the end of racial segregation, the expansion of women's rights, and the freedom of speech. By contrast, originalism suffers from fatal flaws: the impossibility of truly divining original intent, the difficulty of adapting eighteenth-century understandings to the modern world, and the pointlessness of chaining ourselves to decisions made centuries ago. David Strauss is one of our leading authorities on Constitutional law--one with practical knowledge as well, having served as Assistant Solicitor General of the United States and argued eighteen cases before the United States Supreme Court. Now he offers a profound new understanding of how the Constitution can remain vital to life in the twenty-first century.

Author: U.S. Government
Publisher: e-artnow
ISBN: 8026873009
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1118

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Book Description
This is a unique collection of U.S. Government legal documents that shaped and built the American democracy. From the Declaration of Independence to the Civil Rights Act of 1968, this collection contains 40 most important acts and decisions which forged the legal system and democratic principles of USA: Declaration of Independence (1776) U.S. Constitution (1787) Bill of Rights (1791) Amendments (1792-1991) The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) Marbury v. Madison (1803) The Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803) Treaty of Ghent (1814) Monroe Doctrine (1823) Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) Emancipation Proclamation (1863) Gettysburg Address (1863) The Civil Rights Act of 1866 Treaty of Fort Laramie/Sioux Treaty (1868) The Enforcement Act of 1870 The Second Enforcement Act of 1871 (Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871) Civil Rights Act of 1875 Interstate Commerce Act (1887) Dawes Act (1887) Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 (1916) President Woodrow Wilson's 14 Point Program (1918) National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) Social Security Act (1935) Lend-Lease Act (1941) Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Civil Rights Act of 1957 Civil Rights Act of 1960 Establishment of the Peace Corps (1961) Test Ban Treaty (1963) Equal Pay Act of 1963 Civil Rights Act of 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964) Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964) Voting Rights Act (1965) Loving v. Virginia (1967) Civil Rights Act of 1968 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

Author: Melvin I. Urofsky
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195323122
Category : Constitutional history
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Documents in American Constitutional and Legal History is a two-volume companion to Urofsky and Finkelman's March of Liberty. This reader provides students with a mix of both frequently cited and lesser-known but equally important historical documents and court decisions that have shaped the nation's constitutional development, beginning with its colonization and extending to the latest decisions of the Supreme Court. Each volume is organised chronologically, and the authors have placing it in its historical context. Each document is also accompanied by a brief list of suggestions for further readings. In addition, the complete text of the U.S. Constitutions is contained in both volumes for easy