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American Women: Resources from the Law Library

Selected Areas for Law Research

It is helpful to view the Law Library resources in three general, and sometimes overlapping, categories:

  • Rare Book Collections (and other materials that are considered rare, either because of their age or scarcity)
    Includes materials relating to foreign legal systems, which have influenced American law, as well as sources relating to early American trials and state session laws.
  • State Law Resources
    Examples of laws that directly relate to women and to the issues that affect them, including property, suffrage, and employment legislation. Other issues discussed are interesting because they exclude specific references to women, such as laws relating to slavery and indentured servants.
  • Federal Law Materials
    In addition to the topics listed above, this section includes an examination of civil rights and immigration legislation helps illustrate the major differences between and interdependence of federal and state law.

Each of these categories may be explored in greater depth by selecting from the navigator bar on the left.