American Law in the 20th Century

by Lawrence M. Friedman

Book Overview

A history of American law in the 20th century. It describes the explosion of law over the past century into almost every aspect of American life. Since 1900 the centre of legal gravity in the United... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300102992
• ISBN13: 9780300102994
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 722 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A fantastic overview of modern American law

I read Friedman's book a few years ago, when as a foreigner I knew nothing about American law but became interested in the subject due to the political importance of US Supreme Court decisions. The decision to buy this particular book was rather random, but I couldn't have made a better choice. In this book, Lawrence Friedman gives a thorough, balanced and above all engaged overview of the development of modern American law. The book is divided in chapters organized by law subject, not by historical period, which allows you to read up on the development of any field of American law you are interested in. But at the same time the reader is never left confused about the historical 'big picture', as Friedman chooses the order of narration very carefully and ensures the reader is with him all the way. What makes the book better than just a good overview is the way Friedman manages to put the 'human element' into his narration without it becoming sentimental, dramatic or overly political. The impact of laws and decisions on the lives of various minorities or even just the average American gets ample attention, and one feels that Friedman is one of those rare legal scholars who manage to maintain a sincere and non-cynical interest in the effects of the law on common people. But by avoiding a preachy or bitter tone this engagement manages to hold the attention of the reader at a much higher level than the angry commentary of law histories on the left (Zinn) and right (Bork). In short, anyone with even a passing interest in American law should definitely buy this book. Especially recommended for non-American audiences.

Excellent follow up to his "classic" history

Mr. Friedman has written the excellent follow up to his "classic" history of American law. I'd recommend the first book, if it's still in print, and if not check the used book sites.

An Easy Read on a complicated subject

While the subject is vast and extremely complicated, Lawrence Friedman digests it down into sizeable chucks that most people could understand. I am only a sophmore in college, with no formal legal training and I could easily follow and understand this book. Its a very interesting read, it charts the progression of various fields of law from the end of the 19th century and through the end of the 20th. I found it particularly good that the book was divided into chapters based on time and then subdivided by area of law. Its a great book, I recommend it to anyone who has the slighest interest how law in the 20th century evolved.

Social history of America

When I first got this book, I expected a relatively dry read about the law; instead, this is a fun and informative social history of 20th Century America, with a focus on how the law influenced society and vice versa.This is a vast subject, so even in 600 pages (plus notes), Friedman cannot be comprehensive, but he does cover a lot of different subjects. Although the biggest chapters involve crime or civil rights, he also looks into the evolution of the American family, transportation and communciations. He also deals with the development of the legal profession.This is very well-written, with more than the occasional bits of humor. Although generally objective, he does come down hard on political conservatives at times (especially in the last part of the book). Even if disagree with his politics, however, there is still enough good material in this book to make it a really good read.