This paper will introduce students to the ways in which empire, race, and law co-constituted each other in the period c. 1600-1850. The role of African slavery in the creation and expansion of Atlantic empires is well-known. The paper builds on that foundation to explore how race was institutionalized through law and the conjoint roles race and law played in ordering empires. Drawing on literature from the fields of the history of slavery, legal history, and the history of empires, the paper will explore the overlapping historiographical narratives about the creation of Atlantic empires. The readings are focused primarily on the British Empire, but the paper employs a comparative perspective as well. It will also introduce students to the methods and sources of legal history.
