Race on Trial: Law and Justice in American History (Viewpoints on American Culture)

This book of twelve original essays will bring together two themes of American culture: law and race. The essays fall into four groups: cases that are essential to the history of race in America; cases that illustrate the treatment of race in American history; cases of great fame that became the trials of the century of their time; and cases that made important law. Some of the cases discussed include Amistad, Dred Scott, Plessy v. Ferguson, Scottsboro, Korematsu v. US, Brown v. Board, Loving v. Virginia, Regents v. Bakke, and OJ Simpson. All illustrate how race often determined the outcome of trials, and how trials that confront issues of racism provide a unique lens on American cultural history. Cases include African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Caucasians. Contributors include a mix of junior and senior scholars in law schools and history departments. Introduction / Annette Gordon-reed -- The Impact Of The Amistad Case On Race And Law In America (1841) / Howard Jones -- The Dred Scott Case (1857) / Xi Wang -- Celia's Case (1857) / Annette Gordon-reed -- Race, Identity And The Law: Plessy V. Ferguson (1896) / Thomas J. Davis -- Jack Johnson Versus The American Racial Hierarchy (1913) / Denise C. Morgan --twenty Years On Trial: Takuji Yamashita's Struggle For Citizenship (1922) / Gabriel J. Chin -- A White Woman's Word: The Scottsboro Case (1931) / P.j. Ling -- Koematsu V. United States Revisited: 1944 And 1983 (1944) / Roger Daniels --brown V. Board Of Education (1954) / Mark Tushnet -- Interracial Marriage On Trial: Loving V. Virginia (1967) / Peter Wallenstein -- Race, Affirmative Action, And Higher Education On Trial: Regents V. Bakke (1978) / Howard Ball -- Black And White: The O.j. Simpson Case (1995) / Walter L. Hixson. Edited By Annette Gordon-reed. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-234). The U.S. Supreme Court's March 1841 decision to free the black captives of the Amistad marks the only instance in history in which captured Africans brought to New World won their freedom and returned to their homeland. This collection of 12 original essays brings together two themes of American culture - law and race. Cases discussed include Amistad, Dred Scott, Regents v. Bakke and O.J. Simpson.