This seminar explores how crime was defined, imagined, and punished, in colonial and early national America. The origins of many current American attitudes and practices, regarding crime, lie here—in the earliest years of settlement and state-making. In readings that visit the cobbled streets and cramped bedrooms of early America, as well as courtrooms and the gallows, we will meet thieves, counterfeiters, murderers, legislators, governors, vigilantes, and even America’s first policemen. Topics include: early theories of violence and criminality; domestic violence and murder; the history of public execution; the role of race and slavery in shaping criminal law; the evolution of American attitudes toward capital punishment; and the rise of the penitentiary.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Prerequisites: Normally open to juniors and seniors who have taken a 200-level unit in history and/or a 200-level unit in a relevant area/subject.

Instructor: Grandjean

Distribution Requirements: HS - Historical Studies

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

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