On Trial

The trials and hearings presented in the two volumes of On Trial capture much of American history in the intensity of courtroom confrontation and argument. Judicial proceedings have long fascinated both historians and the general public. Newspapers give extensive coverage both to trials that command national attention and to the many that appeal to local interest. Examining these trials and hearings makes possible not only an understanding of the larger issues surrounding them, but a deepened perception of the society in which each occurred. As Natalie Zemon Davis writes, "a remarkable dispute can sometimes uncover motivations and values that are lost in the welter of the everyday.” On Trial is the first anthology based on edited transcripts of trials and hearing that is intended for use in American history survey classrooms. Volume 1. Dissenting puritan: the trial of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, 1637

Salem witchcraft: the trial of Bridget Bishop, 1692

Freedom of the press: the trial of John Peter Zenger for libel, 1735

Toward the Constitution: the action of John Trevett against John Wheeden for refusing paper money, 1786

Protecting incorporation: Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 1819

Juvenile justice: the trial of Stephen Merrill Clark for arson, 1821

Indian removal: Samuel A. Worcester v. The state of Georgia, 1832

Murder in the city: the trial of Richard P. Robinson for the murder of Helen Jewett, 1836

The trade in human beings: the United States v. The Amistad, 1841

Demon rum: the trial of William Wilbar against B.W. Williams and others for libel, 1845

The color line: the trial of Mrs. Margaret Douglass for teaching colored children to read, 1853

"His truth is marching on": the trial of John Brown for treason and insurrection, 1859

"This terrible war": the trial of Captain Henry Wirz for conspiracy and murder, 1865

Reconstruction in the south: the lynching of Jim Williams, 1871

The late Robert D. Marcus was Professor of History at SUNY, Brockport, from 1983-2000.

Anthony Marcus teaches in the School of Anthropology, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of Melbourne in Australia. He has published on globalization and culture change (Anthropology For A Small Planet, 1996) and American history, and his current writing focuses on Mexican migrants in the northeastern United States, poverty and public policy, the politics of the culture concept in development, and comparative mestizajes.

The trials and hearings presented in the two volumes of On Trial capture much of American history in the intensity of courtroom confrontation and argument. Judicial proceedings have long fascinated both historians and the general public. Newspapers give extensive coverage both to trials that command national attention and to the many that appeal to local interest. Examining these trials and hearings makes possible not only an understanding of the larger issues surrounding them, but a deepened perception of the society in which each occurred. As Natalie Zemon Davis writes, "a remarkable dispute can sometimes uncover motivations and values that are lost in the welter of the everyday.” On Trial is the first anthology based on edited transcripts of trials and hearing that is intended for use in American history survey classrooms.