We are pleased to announce that we now have access to this new library on HeinOnline. Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law, edited by Paul Finkelman with the assistance of Hein’s editorial staff, brings together for the first time all known legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery. An introduction to the collection by the editor is available here.
The collection also includes more than 1,000 books and pamphlets about slavery – defending it, attacking it or simply analyzing it, including an expansive slavery collection of mostly pre-Civil War 0materials from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. The editors have also gathered every English-language legal commentary on slavery published before 1920, including many essays and articles in obscure, hard-to-find journals in the United States and elsewhere. The collection will continue to grow, not only from new scholarship but also from historical material that is added as it is located.
A note about Hein and their commendable model of access:
HeinOnline is to be commended on the model of access they have developed for this new library. We at Osgoode and York will have access through our subscription to HeinOnline. However, as a sign of their dedication to the dissemination of information and knowledge on this important subject, Hein is making this database available to anyone in the world who would like access, at no cost! While there is no charge for access to Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law, Hein encourages everyone who registers for access to the valuable material in this database to make a donation, if they are able, to the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, or another charity of the user's choice which supports civil rights, equality, or the advancement of people of color. Making a donation is voluntary, and is not required to access the database.
For information on using and searching Slavery in America library, click here.