Need to know more about a landmark court case? Perhaps you are researching the process of appeals. Or maybe you’re just really interested in the history of a particular crime? The resources listed here are a great place to start your research. From official government documents to the various ephemera produced by popular culture’s fascination with crime and punishment, you’re likely to find something of use (and of interest!) in these resources.
- A Century of Lawmaking (US): “Beginning with the Continental Congress in 1774, America’s national legislative bodies have kept records of their proceedings. The records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Congress make up a rich documentary history of the construction of the nation and the development of the federal government and its role in the national life. These documents record American history in the words of those who built our government.”
- ArmenianHouse.org: A collection of primary and secondary sources focusing on the Armenian Genocide. Literature on other aspects of Armenian history and culture can also be found in other areas of the site.
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers: “Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.”
- Civil Rights History Project (US): “The activists interviewed for this project belong to a wide range of occupations, including lawyers, judges, doctors, farmers, journalists, professors, and musicians, among others. The video recordings of their recollections cover a wide range of topics within the freedom struggle, such as the influence of the labor movement, nonviolence and self-defense, religious faith, music, and the experiences of young activists.”
- Code of Federal Regulations: “The Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) is “the codification of the general and permanent rules by the department and agencies of the Federal Government.” This is a historical collection of the Code of Federal Regulations dating from 1938 – 1995.”
- Early Copyright Records, 1790-1870 (US): “The records produced by the operation of the United States copyright law between 1790 and 1870 constitutes one of the basic sources of information about the United States during its early years. Sheet music, prints, dramatic compositions, photographs, and books covering all topics of human endeavor are represented.”
- English Crime and Execution Broadsides: “By the first decade of the 19th century a thriving business in crime and execution broadsides had developed in England. These single sheet and frequently sensational publications were often sold at the execution itself.”
- Foreign Law Web Archive: “The Foreign Law Web Archive is a collection of foreign legal materials, including gazettes and judicial sites. Many foreign legal materials are now posted online, with some jurisdictions dispensing with a print publication entirely.”
- Foreign Legal Gazettes in the Law Library of Congress: “The Law Library of Congress has been collecting foreign official gazettes since the mid-nineteenth century and maintains one of the largest collections of these sources in the world. Official gazettes are primary sources of law published by national governments to disseminate new legislation, regulations, and decisions of governmental bodies.
- Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection: “…makes available interview transcripts from the oral history archives of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST). These transcripts present a window into the lives of U.S. diplomats and the major diplomatic crisis and issues that the United States faced during the second half of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st.”
- Global Legal Monitor: “The Global Legal Monitor is an online publication from the Law Library of Congress covering legal news and developments worldwide. It is updated frequently and draws on information from official national legal publications and reliable press sources.”
- Indigenous Law Web Archive: “The Law Library collects and preserves primary law sources of Indigenous nations, which are sovereign governments by treaty with the United States. At the time this collection started, there are 578 tribes and 92 agencies. This archive includes constitutions of a number of sovereign nations, including Navajo Nation, Muscogee Nation, Cherokee Nation, Comanche Nation, Hopi Tribe, etc. and ordinances, Supreme Court papers, court rules and forms for criminal, civil and family courts, and wellness courts.”
- Japanese-American Internment Camp Newspapers: “Produced by the Japanese-Americans interned at assembly centers and relocation centers around the country during World War II, these newspapers provide a unique look into the daily lives of the people who were held in these camps. They include articles written in English and Japanese, typed, handwritten and drawn.”
- John Adams and the Boston Massacre Trial of 1770: “The Law Library of Congress has copies of reports and transcripts of the court proceedings published in 1770, 1807, and 1824, as well as a history of the Boston Massacre “consisting of the narrative of the town, the trial of the soldiers, and a historical introduction, containing unpublished documents of John Adams, and explanatory notes,” published one hundred years later in 1870.”
- Studies in Scarlet: Marriage and Sexuality in the U.S. & U.K., 1815-1914: “The Studies in Scarlet collection, held by the Harvard Law School Library, includes American, British, and Irish cases from 1815 to 1914 involving domestic violence, bigamy, seduction, breach of promise to marry, child custody, rape, and murder.”
The Freedom to Research 