The first contemporary history of the development of American law. A survey of the nature and success of the institution of American law and its agencies and legislative bodies from roughly 1740-1940. Considered ..".a pioneering attempt to evaluate in broad terms the contributions to the development of American law made by its five chief formative agencies, the legislatures, the courts, the constitution-making process, the bar and the executive." William F. Fracher, Mo. L. Rev. 15:332-333. By the major legal historian whose writings led ..". scholars from other disciplines... to look at law with a fresh and sometimes illuminating eye." Friedman, A History of American Law 595. An important work that has been highly regarded for its social perspective, Henry Steele Commager called it ..".a pioneer work in this badly neglected field ...combine(s) scholarship, insight, and narrative and analytical skill in a striking manner."

The History of Corporate Law by the Foremost Legal Historian, James Willard HurstThis study, which is based on a series of lectures delivered at the University of Virginia Law School, explores the development of corporate law from the 1780s, a time when the special charter was the only form of incorporation, to the 1960s, a time when corporations were established exclusively through general incorporation statutes. More than a chronicle, Hurst emphasizes how legal institutions actively shaped the central traits of American capitalism. CONTENTSAnalytical Table of ContentsIntroduction: Time, Place and SubjectI.From Special Privilege to General Utility, 1780-1890II.Legitimacy: Utility and Responsibility, 1890-1970III.Institutional Contributions to PolicyConclusion: The Social Impact of Corporation LawBibliographyIndexJames Willard Hurst 1910-1997] revitalized the field of American legal history with The Growth of American Law (1950) and helped establish the study of law and American society in Law and Social Process in United States History (1960). He had a particular interest in the ways society and law influenced one another. He was a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

The eminent legal scholar James Willard Hurst's sociological analysis of the relation between law and private business in relation to society at large Hurst argues that law and business support the same goals of efficiency and humanity, and examines their interrelationship toward that end in terms of ethical issues related to public policy, money supply, the impact of incremental change, inflation and deflation, monopoly and competition, and other economic factors. Based on Hurst's lectures at The University of Wisconsin in April, 1981. James Willard Hurst 1910-1997] is widely recognized as the father of modern American legal history. He taught at University of Wisconsin Law School. A prolific scholar and writer, Hurst's major works include The Growth of American Law: The Law Makers (1950), Law and The Conditions of Freedom in The Nineteenth-century United States (1956), Law and Economic Growth: The Legal History of the Wisconsin Lumber Industry 1835-1916 (1964), Law and Social Process in U.S. History (1960) and Law and Social Order in the United States (1977). CONTENTS Introduction: The Market, the Law, and Challenges of Scarcity Chapter 1 Law and the Constitution of the Market Chapter 2 The Market in Social Context Chapter 3 Bargaining through Law and through Markets Notes Sources Cited Index

These three essays deal with public policy with respect to the business corporation in the United States from 1780 into the 1960's. They trace the development of the business corporation from the time it was treated as a matter of special privilege to the end of the nineteenth century when corporation became available to all qualified applicants under general legislative and simple administrative procedures. After public and legislative acceptance of the corporation, the twentieth century was faced with the task of adjusting the corporation to the general demands of public policy. This study develops in great detail the tenet that the corporation must be legitimate, that is, that it must be both useful and responsible. To this end, specialized bodies of regulatory law have been created outside the law of corporate structure. These essays reflect almost two hundred years of public policy concentrated on making the corporation a ""legitimate instrument of business energy and ambition."" They include full documentation with detailed references to all relevant legal materials. Their examination of the legitimacy of privately organized power is the most complete study of this important force available.

Deals with the legal elements in the history of the system of moeny from 1774 to 1970, looking closely at the benefits and detriments that have accrued to that system from legal interventions.

These three essays deal with public policy with respect to the business corporation in the United States from 1780 into the 1960's. They trace the development of the business corporation from the time it was treated as a matter of special privilege to the end of the nineteenth century when corporation became available to all qualified applicants under general legislative and simple administrative procedures. After public and legislative acceptance of the corporation, the twentieth century was faced with the task of adjusting the corporation to the general demands of public policy. This study develops in great detail the tenet that the corporation must be legitimate, that is, that it must be both useful and responsible. To this end, specialized bodies of regulatory law have been created outside the law of corporate structure. These essays reflect almost two hundred years of public policy concentrated on making the corporation a "legitimate instrument of business energy and ambition." They include full documentation with detailed references to all relevant legal materials. Their examination of the legitimacy of privately organized power is the most complete study of this important force available.