The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History brings together, in one authoritative reference work, an unparalleled wealth of information about the laws, institutions, and actors that have governed America throughout its history.

Embracing the interconnectedness of politics and law, The Encyclopedia addresses all aspects of both spheres, from presidents and Supreme Court justices to specifics of policy history, critical legislation, and party formation. Entries capture the unique nature of the nation's founding principles embodied in the Constitution, the expansive nature of American democracy, political conflict, and compromise, and the emergence of the modern welfare and regulatory state, all of which evince the tensions, contradictions, and possibilities manifest throughout America's history. Clearly demonstrating how US politics and law have evolved since the colonial era, The Encyclopedia encourages readers to anticipate further changes.

With over 450 articles by expert scholars, each signed entry features numerous cross references and discussion of political and legal history as well as additional sources for further study. This two-volume A-to-Z compendium is a reference work of unparalleled depth and scope and will introduce a new generation of readers to the complexities of this dynamic field of study. It also features extensive cross-referencing, a topical outline, and a subject index.

Donald T. Critchlow is Professor of History at Arizona State University and is also Founding President of the Institute for Political History (2001-present). He was a Panelist for the National Humanities Endowment, Year-Fellowship Program in 2004. He was a Fellow in the Fulbright Scholars Program at the University of Hong Kong from 1997-98 as well as in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars from 1996-97. Among other rewards, Critchlow received an USIA grant for a five volume history of the U. S. published in Polish in 1995. Critchlow's publications include The Conservative Ascendancy: How the GOP Right Made Political History; Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade; America's Promise: A Concise History of the United States; Intended Consequences: Birth Control, Abortion, and the Federal Government in Modern America; Studebaker: The Life and Death of an American Auto Company, 1852-1963; The Brookings Institution, 1916-1952: Expertise and the Public Interest in a Democratic Society.

Philip R. VanderMeer is Professor of History at Arizona State University. His publications include Phoenix Rising: The Making of A Desert Metropolis; Belief and Behavior: Essays in the New Religious History; and The Hoosier Politician: Officeholding and Political Culture in Indiana 1896-1920.