Slavery and the Law

American Slavery was a profound system of exploitation and extraction that significantly shaped the political, socioeconomic, and moral trajectory of the United States. Key to these transformations was the role of law. This course will provide a foundational understanding of how law legitimated the Transatlantic Slave Trade and how the institution of slavery reciprocally influenced legal theory, norms, and jurisprudence. Students will develop critical thinking skills and perspectives through engaging with records, archives, cases, legislation, and the work of scholars that elevate the experiences of those who were enslaved. Central to this course is the examination of legal mechanisms and actors in the production of the “slave,” and how those enslaved and formally enslaved understood and interacted with the law and legal systems. The class will draw connections between the period of enslavement, its immediate aftermath, and myriad contemporary legal questions and challenges.