Paul Finkelman is an expert on constitutional history, the law of slavery, and the American Civil War. He coedits the Ohio University Press series New Approaches to Midwestern Studies and is the president of Gratz College.Roberta Sue Alexander is Distinguished Service Professor of History and Professor Emeritus at the University of Dayton. She is the author of North Carolina Faces the Freedmen: Race Relations During Presidential Reconstruction, 1865-67.

"From the Fugitive Slave Act trials in the 1850s to the draft registration resister trial in the 1980s, political activists have voiced their claims about the most salient issues of the times during their trials in federal courts. While the trial of Eugene Debs is the most well-known example discussed in the book, the stories of all the litigants in these politically charged cases are eloquent testimonies. Justice and Legal Change on the Shores of Lake Erie also provides a close-up view of the role of federal law in addressing social issues, including labor strife, race discrimination, the death penalty, and environmental damage. This book makes a significant contribution to the field of legal history." "All of the essays in the book are well written, a tribute not only to the skill of the authors but also, no doubt, of the editors." (H-Law)

Paul Finkelman is an expert on constitutional history, the law of slavery, and the American Civil War. He coedits the Ohio University Press series New Approaches to Midwestern Studies and is the president of Gratz College.Roberta Sue Alexander is Distinguished Service Professor of History and Professor Emeritus at the University of Dayton. She is the author of North Carolina Faces the Freedmen: Race Relations During Presidential Reconstruction, 1865-67.

"From the Fugitive Slave Act trials in the 1850s to the draft registration resister trial in the 1980s, political activists have voiced their claims about the most salient issues of the times during their trials in federal courts. While the trial of Eugene Debs is the most well-known example discussed in the book, the stories of all the litigants in these politically charged cases are eloquent testimonies. Justice and Legal Change on the Shores of Lake Erie also provides a close-up view of the role of federal law in addressing social issues, including labor strife, race discrimination, the death penalty, and environmental damage. This book makes a significant contribution to the field of legal history." "All of the essays in the book are well written, a tribute not only to the skill of the authors but also, no doubt, of the editors." (H-Law)

Paul Finkelman is an expert on constitutional history, the law of slavery, and the American Civil War. He coedits the Ohio University Press series New Approaches to Midwestern Studies and is the president of Gratz College.Roberta Sue Alexander is Distinguished Service Professor of History and Professor Emeritus at the University of Dayton. She is the author of North Carolina Faces the Freedmen: Race Relations During Presidential Reconstruction, 1865-67.

"From the Fugitive Slave Act trials in the 1850s to the draft registration resister trial in the 1980s, political activists have voiced their claims about the most salient issues of the times during their trials in federal courts. While the trial of Eugene Debs is the most well-known example discussed in the book, the stories of all the litigants in these politically charged cases are eloquent testimonies. Justice and Legal Change on the Shores of Lake Erie also provides a close-up view of the role of federal law in addressing social issues, including labor strife, race discrimination, the death penalty, and environmental damage. This book makes a significant contribution to the field of legal history." "All of the essays in the book are well written, a tribute not only to the skill of the authors but also, no doubt, of the editors." (H-Law)