TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One - THE GENERAL FR03LMS OF THE RECEPTION 1 AIÍD REJECTION OF ENGLISH LAW
1. Methods of Reception and Rejection 1 Title 13, Section 201, Code of the District of 1
Columbia, 194-0 Edition
Seeley v. Peters, 10 Illinois 130 (1848) 1 Grigsbv v. Reib, 105 Texas 597; 153 S. ÏÏ. 1124 10
(1913)
Root, The Origin of Government and Laws in Con- 16 necticut (1798)
Jefferson, Inquiry Whether Christianity is a 24 a Part of the Common Law (1764?)
Sampson, Discourse Upon The History of The Law 30 (1823)
Du Ponceau, Dissertation on the Jurisdiction of 36 the Courts of the United States (1824)
2. The Relationships of Historical Fact and of Cur- 39 rent Policy
Williams v. Williams, 8 N. Y. 525 (1853) 39 Gallego's Executors v. Attorney General, 3 Leigh 43
450 (1832)
Vidal v. Girard's Executors, 2 HOT. 1 2 7 (1344) 53
Levy et al v. Levy et al, 33 Ν. Y. 97 (IS65) 58 Seaburn's Executor v. Seaburn, 15 Gratt. 423 68
(1859)
Chapter Two - THE CONDITION CF THE ENGLISH LA',7, 72 1550-1650
1. The Competing Jurisdictions in English Lan 72
a. Ecclesiastical Courts 72 Caudrey's Case, 5 Hep. la (1591) 72
Nicholas Fuller's Case, 12 Rep. 41 (1607) 75 b. Other Tribunals Competing with the Courts of 77
Common Law
2. The English Movement for Law Reform 78 Bacon, A Proposition for Compiling and Amendment 79
of our Laws (l6l6)
Examen Le gun Angliaet Or The Laws of England Ex- 86 amined by Scripture, Antiquity and Reason (1056)
Hale, Considerations Touching the Amendment or 95 Alteration of Lawes (Before Io90)
Chapter Three - THE LATÍ IK THE ¡MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY 100 1. The Charter of Incorporation and the First Pro- 100
cesses of Law-Making
2. The Judicial System 108 3. The General Court as a Judicial Tribunal 110
Winthrop's Summary of the Case Betv7een Richard 110 Sherman and Robert Keayne (1Ó42)
Howe and Eaton, The Supreme Judicial Power in 114- the Colony of Massachusetts Bay (1947)
4. Civil and Ecclesiastical Discipline 127 Mansfield v. Hathorne, Longley v. Hathorne, 133
3 Essex Quarterly Court Records 24, 30 (I663)
5. The Trials of John ïïheelwright and Anne Hutchin- 144 son
Adans, Three Episodes in Massachusetts History 153 (1S92)
Winthrop, A Declaration in Defense of an Order loi of Court made in Lay, 1637 (3 ïïinthrop Papers
422)
vi*
Trial of Ann Hutchinson, 2 Hutchinson's History I64 of Massachusetts Bay (Kayo edition) 366 et seq.
(1637)
Excerpt from Winthrop1s Journal, Vol. 1, p. *249 179
6. The Movement for Codification 181 a. The Body of Liberties 181
1 ITinthrop's Journal, *322-23 185 Aspinwall's Preface to the 1655 edition of 187
John Ootton's Abstract of the Laws of New England
b. The Hingham Affair and the Child Remonstrance 189 Winthrop Journal, Vol. II, p. »223-26; *227- 190
30
Winthrop Journal, Vol. II, *255-56 196 The Remonstrance of Robert Child and Others, 199
1 Hutciiinson Papers 214
Winthrop, Arbitrary Government (4 Winthrop 208 Papers 468)
Winthrop, The Author's Review of His Writing 218 (4 Winthrop Papers 486)
c. The Laws and Liberties of I648 219 d. The Code and the Common Law 232
Giddings v. B r o m , 2 Hutchinson Papers 1, 232 (1657)
Patten v. Dyer, 1 Records of Suffolk County 240 Court, 1071-1680, 373 (1673/4)
Patten v. ïïinslay, 1 Records of Suffolk 245 County Court 377 (1673/4)
Province Law of November 1, 1692 254 1 Acts and Resolves of the Province of
Massachusetts Bay, p. 43
Province law of December 5, 1719, 2 Acts 255 and Resolves of the Province of Massa-
chusetts Bay, p. 151
Winthrop v. Lechmere, 7 Conn. Colonial 256 Records 571 (1727)
Henshaw v. Blood & al., 1 Lîass. 35 (I8O4) 264 Chapter Four - CRITICAL PROBLEMS OF AMERICAN LAW, 268
1790-1820
1. General Character of American Law 268 Rush, American Jurisprudence (1815) 268 Case of John V. N. lates, 4 Johnson 317 (1809) 281
Yates v. The People, 6 Johnson 337 (lSlO) 292 Yates v. Iansing, 5 Johnson 282 (1810) 302
2. The Common Larr and Federalism 319 Trial of Gideon Henfield for Illegally Enlist- 319
ing in a French Privateer, Wharton - State Trials (18/+9) D. 49, 59; Fed. Cas. Ko. 636O
(1793).
Trial of Isaac '.Villiams for Accepting a Con- 331 mission in a French Armed Vessel and Serving
in Same Against Great 3ritain, ïïliarton - State Trials (I84.9) p. 652; Fed. Cas. No. 17,708
(1799)
Argument of Otis, 8 Annals of Congress 21A5 et 337 seq.
Argument of Gallatin, 8 Annals of Congress 2156 339 et seq.
Argument of Bayard, 11 Annals of Congress 613-14 341 Argument of Nicholson, 11 Annals of Congress 805 342
et seq.
Judge Addison's Charge to the Grand Jury, June 348 Session, 1798, Addison's Reports, Appendix,
260, 268-70
viii
Judge Addison's Charge t o the Grand Jury, 34-9 September Session, 1798, Addison's Reports,
Appendix 270, 275-89.
Judge Addison's Charge t o the Grand Jury,De- 353 cember Session, 1798, Addison's Reports, Ap-
pendix, 289, 304-310.
United S t a t e s v . Hodges, 2 Wheeler's Cr. C. 364 477; Fed. Cas. No. 15374 (1815)
Callender's Case, ïïharton's S t a t e Trials 688, 364 709; Fed. Cas. No. 14709 (lSOO)
United S t a t e s v . Coolidge et a l . 1 Gallison 377 488; Fed. Cas. No. 14857 (1813)
Peele et a l v . Merchants Insurance Co., 3 Mason 382 27; Fed. Cas. No. 10905 (1822)
Vandenheuvel v . United Insurance Co., 2 Caines 389 Cases in Error 217; 2 Johns. Cas. 127 (I8OI)
Croudson v . Leonard, 4 Cranch 434 (1808) 397 ïïilliams v . Suffolk Insurance Co., 3 Sumner 270; 399
Fed. Cas. No. 17738 (1838)
Swift v . Tyson, 16 Peters 1, (1342) 403 3. The Westward Transmission of Anglo-American Law 419
Ohio v . L a f f e r t y , Tapnan's Reports 113 (1817) 426 Chapter Five - THE NINETEENTH CENTURY MOVEMENT FOR 433
CODIFICATION
T r i a l of the Journeymen Cordtrainers of the City of 434 NOT York (1810)
Grimke, An Oration on the P r a c t i c a b i l i t y and Ex- 4Λ4 pediency of Reducing the ïïhole Body of the Law
t o the Simplicity and Order of a Code (1827)
Robinson - on Reform of Law and the Judiciary in 455 an oration delivered before the Trades' Union of
Boston and V i c i n i t y , July 4, 1834; Blau, Social Theories of Jacksonian Denocrary (1947) p. 320, 327.
Story, Law, Legislation, Codes - Appendix to Vii 4.60 Encyclopedia Americana, p. 476, 589
Rantoui, Oration at Scituate, Massachusetts, 4 July 472 1836, Memories, Speeches and ïïritings of Robert
Rantolìi, Jr. (1854) p. 251, 277
Commonwealth v. Hunt à Others, 4 Metcalf 111 (1842) 478 F.ufus Choate, The Position and Functions of the 486
American Bar, as an Element of Conservatism in the State (1 'Jorks of Rufus Choate (1862), 414, 417, et seq.)
The Field Codes in New York 492 1. First Report of the Commissioners of the 492
Code (1858) by Field, Noyes and Bradford
2. Introduction to the Completed Civil Code 496 (1865) by Field and Bradford
3. The Civil Code as Drafted 500 4. The Field Codes in the 1880«s 507
Argument of Professor Munroe Smith in op- 507 position to the Bill "To Establish a Civil
Code" before the Joint Meeting of Judi- ciarv Committees of the Senate and Assembly Feb. 25, 1886
Defense of the Civil Code by Robert Ludlov; 510 Fouler in his Codification in The State of
New York (1884)
Francis .Tharton, Commentaries on La^r (1881) 517
5. Codification in Action 522
A Strange Story 523
X.
READINGS IN AMERICAN LEGAL HISTORY
