Description: Anti-Rent Era in New York Law and Politics, 1839-1865
Brief description: Charles W. McCurdy is professor of history and law at the University of Virginia.
Review Quotes:
"With the acute understanding of a veteran legal historian, McCurdy dissects the arguments and strategies of the chief protagonists in the conflict, proceeding carefully through the legislature, press, a constitutional convention, and relevant court decisions. His ability to clarify complex issues and decode devious stratagems is impressive. . . . [This] study opens up vistas showing the manifold ways in which politicians/lawyers shaped the possibilities for democratic reform." -- CHOICE