Series on Law, Society, and Politics in the Midwest
About Series on Law, Society, and Politics in the Midwest
This series publishes books on Midwestern legal history and the culture and politics of law in the Midwest. The thrust of the series is historical, but it will include contemporary issues in political science, law, sociology, economics, and other fields as well. Many books in this series are available in paperback editions.
Series Editor(s)
Paul Finkelman, President William McKinley
Distinguished Professor of Law
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Ave
Ablany, NY 12208
L. Diane Barnes
Associate Professor, Department of History
Youngstown State University
Featured Title
No Winners Here Tonight
Race, Politics, and Geography in One of the Country’s Busiest Death Penalty States
Few subjects are as intensely debated in the United States as the death penalty. Some form of capital punishment has existed in America for hundreds of years, yet the justification for carrying out the ultimate sentence is a continuing source of controversy.…
All Titles
The Dred Scott Case
Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Race and Law
Edited by David Thomas Konig, Paul Finkelman and Christopher Alan Bracey
In 1846 two slaves, Dred and Harriet Scott, filed petitions for their freedom in the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri. As the first true civil rights case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, Dred Scott v.…
Democracy in Session
A History of the Ohio General Assembly
For more than 200 years no institution has been more important to the development of the American democratic polity than the state legislature, yet no political institution has been so neglected by historians.…
No Winners Here Tonight
Race, Politics, and Geography in One of the Country’s Busiest Death Penalty States
Few subjects are as intensely debated in the United States as the death penalty. Some form of capital punishment has existed in America for hundreds of years, yet the justification for carrying out the ultimate sentence is a continuing source of controversy.…
The History of Nebraska Law
Edited by Alan G. Gless
In the aftermath of the Civil War, legislators in the Nebraska Territory grappled with the responsibility of forming a state government as well as with the larger issues of reconstructing the Union, protecting civil rights, and redefining federal-state relations.…
American Pogrom
The East St. Louis Race Riot and Black Politics
On July 2 and 3, 1917, a mob of white men and women looted and torched the homes and businesses of African Americans in the small industrial city of East St. Louis, Illinois. When the terror ended, the attackers had destroyed property worth millions of dollars, razed several neighborhoods, injured hundreds, and forced at least seven thousand black townspeople to seek refuge across the Mississippi River in St.…
The Rescue of Joshua Glover
A Fugitive Slave, the Constitution, and the Coming of the Civil War
On March 11, 1854, the people of Wisconsin prevented agents of the federal government from carrying away the fugitive slave, Joshua Glover. Assembling in mass outside the Milwaukee courthouse, they demanded that the federal officers respect his civil liberties as they would those of any other citizen of the state.…
The Fairer Death
Executing Women in Ohio
Women on death row are such a rarity that, once condemned, they may be ignored and forgotten. Ohio, a typical, middle-of-the-road death penalty state, provides a telling example of this phenomenon. The Fairer Death: Executing Women in Ohio explores Ohio’s experience with the death penalty for women and reflects on what this experience reveals about the death penalty for women throughout the nation.…
The History of Michigan Law
Edited by Paul Finkelman and Martin J. Hershock
The History of Michigan Law offers the first serious survey of Michigan's rich legal past. Michigan legislators have played a leading role in developing modern civil rights law, protecting the environment, and assuring the right to counsel for those accused of crimes.…
The History of Indiana Law
Edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Randall T. Shepard
Long regarded as a center for middle-American values, Indiana is also a cultural crossroads that has produced a rich and complex legal and constitutional heritage. The History of Indiana Law traces this history through a series of expert articles by identifying the themes that mark the state’s legal development and establish its place within the broader context of the Midwest and nation.…
The Black Laws
Race and the Legal Process in Early Ohio
Beginning in 1803, the Ohio legislature enacted what came to be known as the Black Laws. These laws instituted barriers against blacks entering the state and placed limits on black testimony against whites.…
A Place of Recourse
A History of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 1803-2003
The first history of a federal district court in a midwestern state, A Place of Recourse explains a district court’s function and how its mission has evolved. The court has grown from an obscure institution adjudicating minor debt and land disputes to one that plays a central role in the political, economic, and social lives of southern Ohioans.…
Frontiers of Freedom
Cincinnati’s Black Community 1802–1868
Nineteenth-century Cincinnati was northern in its geography, southern in its economy and politics, and western in its commercial aspirations. While those identities presented a crossroad of opportunity for native whites and immigrants, African Americans endured economic repression and a denial of civil rights, compounded by extreme and frequent mob violence.…
The History of Ohio Law
By Michael Les Benedict and John F. Winkler
History of Ohio Law is a complete sourcebook on the origin and development of Ohio law and its relationship to society. A model for work in this field, it is the starting point for any investigation of the subject.…
