Gibbons v. Ogden, Law, and Society in the Early Republic

"A highly original and much-needed book that puts Gibbons v. Ogden in historical context.... [A] major contribution to our understanding of a landmark case." "The Steamboat Case of 1824 is familiar to most historians of the United States, but the background to it is not. Thomas H. Cox has rectified that.... Cox's monograph is a superb in-depth study of the issues and personalities involved that led in several stages to the Gibbons v. Ogden decision in 1824." (American Historical Review) "Thomas Cox's new book...certainly acknowledges that importance (of the legal case), but it goes beyond the case itself to examine the legal, social, business, and technological milieu of the Early Republic.... Cox uses a brisk writing style in his ten short chapters, and so the book is an enjoyable read. The research is impressive, with countless manuscript collections, court cases, and newspaper accounts forming the book's backbone." (Business History Review) "Figures such as Robert Fulton, and chancellors Robert R. Livingston and James Kent come alive in these pages, not always in ways that flatter them. This is as it should be....Prodigious research and meticulous detail are the strengths of this book. The resulting narrative is exhaustive and potentially definitive...." (Law & History Review) "(Gibbons v. Ogden is) a study that reflects extensive research, is rich in detail, and may in certain key respects prove definitive." (Law & Politics Book Review) "Cox helps us understand why Gibbons is so significant for understanding the constitutional footing for such federal power (regulating interstate commerce) and the wider importance of the decision in U. S. Constitutional history. Perhaps even more importantly, Cox examines the broader historical context out of which Gibbons emerged, especially how steamboat transportation became central to debates about 'internal improvements' and the role of the courts in navigating conflicts over the direction of such efforts in the early republic." (The History Teacher) "The scholarship is very deep and broad.... The tale is important enough and the treatment so well balanced that general readers of American history will find much of use in the work."