While scholars have rightly focused on the importance of the landmark opinions of the United States Supreme Court and its Chief Justice, John Marshall, in the rise in influence of the Court in the Early Republic, the crucial role of the circuit courts in the development of a uniform system of federal law across the nation has largely been ignored. This book highlights the contribution of four Associate Justices (Washington, Livingston, Story and Thompson) as presiding judges of their respective circuit courts during the Marshall era, in order to establish that in those early years federal law grew from the 'inferior courts' upwards rather than down from the Supreme Court. It does so after a reading of over 1800 mainly circuit opinions and over 2000 original letters, which reveal the sources of law upon which the justices drew and their efforts through correspondence to achieve consistency across the circuits. The documents examined present insights into momentous social, political and economic issues facing the Union and demonstrate how these justices dealt with them on circuit. Particular attention is paid to the different ways in which each justice contributed to the shaping of United States law on circuit and on the Court and in the case of Justices Livingston and Thompson also during their time on the New York State Supreme Court.

This compelling study of the American public's response to the fate of accused murderer Hattie Woolsteen uses this legal case to examine the complexities of gender history and societal fears about the changing roles of women during the Victorian era. In October of 1887, a young woman named Hattie Woolsteen was accused of murdering her married lover, Los Angeles dentist Charles Harlan. The subsequent trial captivated the public as few incidents had done before. The idea of a female murderer was particularly disturbing in 19th-century America, and the public quickly labeled her a fiend and a "she-devil." But despite the overwhelming evidence against the accused, Hattie Woolsteen was not only acquitted of the charge, but emerged as the victim in this sordid drama. As the public grappled with the details of Hattie's alleged crime, she became a symbol of female victimization and gender inequality-as well as an unlikely champion of women's rights. This book provides the fascinating and lurid details of the Hattie Woolsteen murder case within the context of 19th-century American social history, allowing readers to view this event in historical perspective. Its chapters examine the various factors that influenced public opinion about the case and its outcome, including Victorian attitudes about gender roles and women's place in American society as well as sexuality and crime, common concerns about the societal consequences of rapid urbanization, the power of the Victorian-era press in shaping public opinion, and the subjective nature of the criminal justice system in that time period. Provides a solid introduction to women's/gender history that explains the nuances of shifting attitudes regarding gender roles and women's place in American society at the end of the 19th century Enables an understanding of 19th-century anxieties about rapid urbanization and the attendant perceived breakdown of community as well as how law enforcement of the period-then in its infancy-was subject to political influence and societal expectations Underscores the role of the press in shaping public attitudes about community values and ideals, documenting how the news during the Victorian era was big business and objectivity was not a priority-not unlike today's media