Birthright citizenship has a history that extends across nearly the whole of the nineteenth century. It entered legal debates during the antebellum era through the constitutional puzzle that free African Americans posed. In the era of the Civil War and Reconstruction, birthright took on new significance as questions about the incorporation of former slaves into … Continued
The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which removed “sex” as a legal reason to disqualify citizens from voting. Centennial celebrations have revealed how little most Americans know about the history of women’s rights and how contested this history remains. For the past 100 years, suffrage history has … Continued
This webinar will provide a historical overview of Mexican migration and immigration to the United States. This session will focus on the push and pull factors that have shaped the experience of migration between Mexico and the United States over the last 150 years. The session will end with a look at recent immigration reform … Continued
Immigration is always in the news. We think of it principally in terms of how to manage the influx of outsiders into our community. Whom should we admit? How much should we invest in controlling our borders? How should we regulate those we have chosen to admit? This webinar will suggest that these ways of … Continued
How did Roman Law become the foundation for America’s criminal justice system? How did ancient Romans understand crime and punishment—and how did this influence the Founding Fathers in the United States? This webinar explores the ins and outs of law, crime, imprisonment, and capital punishment within ancient Roman society from 753 BCE to 565 CE, … Continued
In middle school, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird inspired Emily Coccia to imagine the possibilities of the law to bring communities closer to justice. In college, it was the world of critical theory—such as feminist and queer theory—however, that helped her understand the other paths available to those wishing to enact social change.
Scholar Cara Robertson explores the stories Lizzie Borden’s culture wanted and expected to hear and how those stories influenced the debate inside and outside the courtroom, offering a window into America in the Gilded Age.
In this podcast, Ian Burney, professor of the history of science, technology, and medicine at the University of Manchester, discusses his new book which explores the methods Erle Stanley Gardner and his “Court of Last Resort” used to establish the innocence of those wrongly convicted in an era long before the use of DNA evidence, setting precedents for how we think about establishing innocence up to the present moment.
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For over 230 years, the U.S. Constitution has served as the central document shaping life and law in the United States. Originally consisting of seven articles, the Constitution has been amended 27 times to meet the changing needs of the country and its citizens. Interpretation of its provisions and the intent of its framers has been debated throughout our country's history.
Cara Robertson (Fellow 2004–05; 2005–06) discusses one of the most famous trials in American history, offering not only a detailed account of events but providing a window into life in America’s Gilded Age, showcasing its most deeply held convictions and its most troubling social anxieties.