This course examines the history of the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court, and the interpretation of law since the end of the Civil War. Studying landmark court cases in context and as part of the social revolution that unfolded in American institutions and life in the wake of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868), this class examines core doctrines of legal history and interpretation with a focus on how modern institutions change the relation of the individual to the state and economy, to liberty and the institutions of civil society. Though readings consist mostly of original court cases, no previous coursework in law or history is required. Rather, the course takes a handson approach to interpreting legal history, working through important cases and concepts through a process of lectures, mock (in-class) trials, briefings, oral arguments, and social “impact statements.” Students completing the class will be able to translate between important legal doctrines (e.g. federalism, separation of powers, due process rights, equal protection) and corresponding social and political developments such as industrialization, urbanization, feminism, the New Deal, modern forms of war, the Civil Rights movement, and the growth of mass media.