The English and American Laws of Belonging: Slavery, Serfdom, and Citizenship, 1100-1830
HIST 351
Spring 2027
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01
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This course is an examination of the legal history of one of the fundamental questions of all communities: who is a member, who is an outsider or alien, who is legally subordinated and what advantages does membership confer? The chronological span of the course is from the beginning of the English Common Law in the 12th century until around 1833, but it will focus on a number of key moments in this long span, the creation of serfdom, the theory that bound a subject to the king, the status of Jews, ending with the outlawing of slavery in the British Empire and the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. Student research will be intrinsic to the course, including the presentation of student research. Topics that will be central will include the meaning of legal freedom, the development and decline of serfdom, the meaning of being a subject of the king, a citizen of a city, and the changing circumstances of aliens and immigrants. This will also involve laws of property and mobility: who can own land, who can come and who can leave? Inequality before the law and special status for and against different groups of aliens and natives will also be discussed, not forgetting the effect of religious difference on legal rights and the strange place of gender before the law. Focus will often be on individual legal cases and judicial reasoning. We will discuss the legal situation in the English colonies and the transatlantic conversations and changes before and after US independence. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (History Minor)(History) |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
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Among other things: Selections from Statutes of the Realm, from Yearbooks and Other Law Reports
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Examinations and Assignments:
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Seminar research paper, seminar presentation, report on a judgements or statute |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Shaw,Gary Times: .M.W... 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 3 | | |
| | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 4 | FR: 0 |
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