Megan Shelton
unique accounts were interesting to read, the reader would benefit from also being provided with some of the aspects that made the law shift over time to what it is now. She states throughout the book that cases of microhistory such as these helped to shape the legal system we have now, but she never states how. She provides examples of the earliest cases, but the book would have been strengthened by providing some from in-between then and now to illustrate this transition. Crane’s book shows how early Americans personalized the law and it was their acceptance of the same values that brought so many diverse immigrants to a common culture. The legal history of this era provides a general interpretation of early American life which is represented by the many microhistorical accounts in this book that demonstrate the relationship between people and the law.The examples provided in Crane’s book are all great examples of how the values of the early Americans became deeply implanted in their culture. She provides the reader with a basic understanding of how their society worked by providing many examples of how their society’s common values and norms affected their everyday lives, causing many to live in fear. Although the book fails to portray exactly how the legal culture of this era shaped today’s legal culture, it provides several accounts of many aspects of the settlers’ everyday lives and provides the reader with examples of many details of early American culture.
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