The Common Law In Colonial America

Download or read book The Common Law in Colonial America written by William Edward Nelson and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Présentation de l'éditeur : "With the restoration of monarchy in 1660, English policy toward its North American empire began to assume some coherence. During Charles II's reign, various institutions of English government assumed an increasingly direct role in the administration of England's overseas territories. New York was conquered from the Dutch; Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey were carved out of it; and North and South Carolina were founded. Lawyers trained in England brought the common law to all these new colonies, quickly in most of them, but somewhat more slowly in New York. Although the legal systems of these post-1660 colonies developed in distinctive directions as a result of different demographic and economic conditions and the diversity of reasons for which they were founded, the presence of common law did place limits on the extent to which divergence could occur. Issues that are central to all chapters involve the reception of common law pleading, the enforcement of criminal and regulatory law, the functioning of juries, the regulation of religion, and the degree of centralization of power."