Seminar paper assignment, Spring 2005
American Legal History,
Due Monday June 20
Drafts due by Monday June 6
10 pages long
Examine the readings from one week of this course and write essay explaining:
n The materials in detail:
o Explain what the documents are,
o Who wrote them or maintained them, and
o What the purpose or purposes of the documents are.
n How they help us as legal historians:
o What do the documents tell us with respect to the issues that interest legal historians:
o Study of cases and rules
o Study of law in a society
o Study of law as part of a society
o Study of law’s influence on a society
o Study of society’s influence on law
o Study of law’s relation to other forms of control and power
Format for the paper:
I. Introduction: Summarize your analysis briefly
II. Set out your detailed examination (using classnotes, and other information, if you have it).
III. Explain the significance of these documents to a legal historian.
IV. Conclusion