Law and Society in US History
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this introduction to American constitutional law from 1787 to the present, organized around three recurring themes: liberty, equality, and property. Readings draw mostly on original court cases, especially from the U.S. Supreme Court, paired with material tracing the historical connections between those rulings and the social, political, and cultural currents surrounding them. The course covers major turning points in constitutional interpretation, from the founding era through contested twentieth century rulings, showing how courts became forums for disputes over slavery, labor, civil rights, and property that Congress and the states could not resolve on their own. Materials include a full syllabus, readings list, and case materials as published by MIT OpenCourseWare, with no instructor video lectures. It suits students who want to read primary legal sources directly rather than a secondary summary of constitutional history.