Library Research Guide for History 97g: "What is Legal History?"

Discrimination in education -- Law and legislation
Women -- Legal status, laws, etc.
Nevada. Legislature. Senate -- Periodicals
Nevada. Legislature. Assembly -- Periodicals
Legislative journals -- Nevada -- Periodicals
Nevada -- Politics and government -- Periodicals

The making of modern law. Legal treatises, 1800-1926 offers Anglo-American legal treatises together with some casebooks, local practice manuals, form books, works for lay readers, pamphlets, letters, speeches, etc.

Research Guide

U.S. Congressional Publications
Federal Legislative History

Documents

HeinOnline U.S. Federal Legislative Histories Library

ProQuest Legislative Insight provides selected legislative histories for enacted laws from 1929-2012.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 with American State Papers, 1789-1838 consists of reports, documents and journals of U.S. Congress, including reports originating in Executive Departments and submitted to Congress.

United States Congressional Serial Set Finding List: Agency Series Found in the Serial Set offers a list of government document series available in the Serial Set arranged by agency.

HeinOnline U.S. Congressional Documents  provides full-text access to the published debates, proceedings and speeches of the U.S. Congress, including the Annals of Congress(1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837), Congressional Globe (1833-1873) and the Congressional Record (1873 to present).

ProQuest Congressional provides full-text access to Committee Hearings, House and Senate Documents, House and Senate Reports, Senate Executive Reports, Senate Executive Treaty Documents, Legislative Histories, Serial Set Maps, Serial Set. More information. Research guides are available at the ProQuest Congressional wiki.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation (Library of Congress) Brings together online the records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention through the 43rd Congress, including the first three volumes of the Congressional Record, 1873-75.

U.S. States

Rrsearch guides

• State Legislative History Research Guides Inventory
• Laws, Legislative Materials, and Legal Issues Sources in State Agency Databases State Agency Databases Project
• Legislative Journals By State
• Comparing State Laws and Constitutions
• Research Guides, Treatise Finders, & Tutorials lists legal resources for each state

 

Encyclopedia of American civil liberties, ed. by Paul Finkelman. NY: Routledge, 2006. 3 v.
Harvard Kennedy School | Ref | KF4747.5 .E53 2006
Law School | KF4747.5 .E53 2006
Widener | RR 4455.10 (Loker Reading Room, 2nd floor)

Major acts of Congress, ed. by Brian K. Landsberg. NY: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 3 v.
--Examines landmark pieces of legislation, explaining the historical factors that led to the proposal of each act, looking at the adoption process and assessing each act's impact on American life. All aspects of legislation are covered, including the National Prohibition Act, the Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Freedom of Information Act and much more. Contents: v. 1. A-E, Administrative Resolution Dispute Act to Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 -- v. 2. F-M, Fair Housing Act of 1968 to Mutual Security Act (1951) -- v. 3. N-Z, Narcotics Act (1914) to Yellowstone National Park Act (1872)
Online Version
HOLLIS record

Session law is issued after the Congressional session that passed the laws included.  Code is a cumulation of the whole body of law and is revised every few years to incorporate new session law.

NexisUni

• Choose Advanced Search
• Select a Specific Content type: Legal
• Narrow to Statutes and Legislation on left.
• Choose USA
• Enter your search terms
• Narrow as needed on left

Guide.

Although NexisUni is the most comprehensive source we have available, many, especially older sources are not included. To see if a particular source is included:

NexisUni
Top right:: Menu

1. Choose - All Sources
2. On left - Categories: Statutes and Legislation

Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources (1620-1970) includes early state codes (compilations of laws arranged alphabetically by subject); city charters (enacted and proposed charters and ordinances in American municipal jurisdictions); law dictionaries (important for investigating the history of legal concepts or interpreting the meaning of older documents); and the published records of the American colonies.

Go to Advanced Search--Limit Your Search--By Document Type. You can then browse the available sources by hitting Search without putting in a search term.

Federal

U.S. Statutes at Large (HeinOnline)  (v. 1-120, 1789-2006) is the official source for session law, the laws and resolutions passed by the U.S. Congress.  They are issued Congress by Congress and are thus chronologically arranged.

U. S. Code comprises the laws passed by Congress arranged by topic.Issued every six years.

States

HeinOnline Session Laws (Session laws are collections of statutes enacted by a single legislative session) contains the session laws of all 50 U.S. States. Includes colonial and territorial laws.

Current state codes are available via state court websites. The code is revised every few years; earlier versions usually must be found in printed form in a library.

State Cases and Codes offers links to state code and other resources. Terms vary, codes may be called consolidated law. The Administrative code is not it.