7381. Race and Property in U.S. History

How have property law and policy reflected and shaped the treatment of different racialized groups in the United States? How does this history affect property ownership and racial and economic status today? This seminar seeks to explore these questions. We will consider the distinctive experiences of different racialized groups, including American Indians, African Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian immigrants, Native Hawaiians, and Mexicans whose land was transferred to the United States. The materials consider ¿property¿ both narrowly (e.g., through probate, citizenship restrictions on land ownership, access to mortgages, and the Fair Housing Act) and broadly (e.g., through assertion of sovereign authority over territory and arguments that race itself is a form of property). Students will learn to use databases containing historical legal materials, and will write a final research paper on a topic they choose.