The Complicated History of Eugenics in the United States

American History, Human Rights, Immigration, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Session Laws
Tara Kibler

Most would agree that the future of the human race depends on the capability of its offspring. At the turn of the 20th century, with the rise of the eugenics movement, this premise was taken to a logical yet dismal conclusion: the human race could be improved if only the genetically superior were allowed to reproduce.

Though such talk may be repulsive to many in the modern era, it was surprisingly commonplace just a few generations ago. Even more shocking, you’ll find notable, well-respected names on the list of advocates for the practice. It was only when eugenics was taken to its extreme under Nazi Germany that the movement began to fall out of favor…

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The Great Gatsby Gets the Green Light in HeinOnline

Content News, HeinOnline Updates, Legal Classics, What's New
Tara Kibler

Fun fact! At the start of each new year, thousands of U.S. copyrights expire. As we all rang in 2021 a couple of weeks ago, every single work published in 1925 subsequently entered the public domain—most notably, perhaps, the acclaimed classic The Great Gatsby. 

About the Work

Frequently spotted in high school English courses or on “classic books” lists, The Great Gatsby has been a staple 20th century American novel for nearly 100 years. Penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the work is a window into the social life of 1920s America—complete with jazz music, glamorous flappers, bootlegging, and speakeasies—while also a reflection of the life of the author…

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A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down: A Brief History of Compulsory Vaccination

COVID-19, Exploring HeinOnline, Government Documents, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Medicine, State Reports: A Historical Archive, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Documents, U.S. Supreme Court
Stephanie Ruesch

Vaccination efforts against COVID-19 are underway across the world. In the United States, two vaccines have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use, one developed by Moderna and one by Pfizer-BioNTech. Limitations on the amount of available doses have led the Centers for Disease Control to provide recommendations on who should be vaccinated first, but eventually the general public will be able to receive the vaccine. Its widespread availability will naturally lead to questions for both the public and for policy makers on whether vaccination against COVID-19 will be a requirement to board a plane, return to school, attend a concert…

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Marbury v. Madison: The Most Important Decision in American Constitutional Law

History of Supreme Court Nominations, Law, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Statutes at Large, Treaties and Agreements Library, U.S. Presidential Library, U.S. Supreme Court, World Constitutions Illustrated
Tara Kibler

This past Tuesday, the Affordable Care Act returned to the Supreme Court for the third time. Opponents argue that the health insurance mandate included in the legislation is unconstitutional, and that the entire act should therefore be struck down.

You may be wondering, from where does the Supreme Court derive this power? To discover the answer, travel with HeinOnline back to the turn of the nineteenth century.

The Election of 1800

This story starts with a presidential election, which, we have to say, is a much more enjoyable phenomenon to look back on than to experience. The main candidates were incumbent President John Adams—a Federalist favoring strong central government—and Vice President Thomas Jefferson…

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Where the Wild Things Are: Hunting Regulations

Exploring HeinOnline, Government Documents, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Documents, U.S. Congressional Serial Set, U.S. Presidential Library
Stephanie Ruesch

Fall’s arrival brings a chill to the air, changing colors to the leaves, and pumpkin spice flavoring to more products than necessary. But for many people, fall’s arrival also brings on an acute case of buck fever, alleviated only by long hours in a tree stand, or for others the urge to sit near the water in a duck blind with a bird call in hand, waiting for a fast-flying fowl. For these outdoorsmen and women, the change in weather means the start of the much-anticipated fall hunting season.

Hunting in America is primarily regulated at the state level, with additional regulations coming from federal laws that protect endangered species and migratory birds…

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Hein on Hamilton: Celebrating an American Musical

American History, Government Documents, Legal Classics, U.S. Congressional Serial Set, World Constitutions Illustrated, World Trials
Stephanie Ruesch

This past weekend our nation experienced a great, patriotic, unifying celebratory occasion. Step aside, Independence Day. On July 3rd, Hamilton was finally released on Disney+. Filmed across three performances in June 2016, the film version captures the stage production of the hit musical with its original cast and brings it into the comfortable and affordable living rooms of the masses. Now that we’ve all had a few days to rewatch it a couple or dozen times, let’s unpack this American musical with some supplementary materials from your favorite research database.

Don’t say no to this! Make sure you are subscribed to the databases we’ll be referencing so you can follow along:

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A Columbus Day Exploration of Indigenous American History

American History, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Political Science, Statutes at Large, World Constitutions Illustrated, World Treaty Library
Tara Kibler

On this day each October, we observe the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. However, the often-devastating impact of “Western” influences on indigenous Americans has led some to be wary of celebrating the man who started it all. As a solution, many have begun to counter-celebrate with “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in honor of American Indian history and culture.

Regardless of your stance on Columbus Day, one thing is certain—albeit dark at times, American Indians have a rich and storied history which is forever entwined with the evolution of the United States. Join us as we explore that history with HeinOnline’s American Indian Law Collection and other relevant databases…

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The George Wythe Collection is Now Available in Legal Classics!

HeinOnline Updates, Legal Classics, What's New
Lauren Mattiuzzo

In February, we announced that the Legal Classics database had reached more than 11,000 titles. We are now excited to announce a new addition to this database! The George Wythe Collection, composed of 160 titles, is now available in Legal Classics. Although the George Wythe Collection is much larger than 160 titles, the HeinOnline collection contains mainly law-related content. This collection has been added at no additional cost to subscribers.

Who Was George Wythe?

George Wythe was the first American law professor…

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Legal Classics: From the Minds of Key Historical Scholars to HeinOnline

HeinOnline Updates, Legal Classics, What's New
Shannon Furtak

Last month, HeinOnline’s Legal Classics database reached another milestone: it now contains more than 11,000 titles!

Last year, we blogged about the incredible collection of books contained in HeinOnline in its entirety. In total, there are nearly 50,000 books in HeinOnline.* Many HeinOnline databases contain books, including:

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2016 Year in Review

Author Profile Pages, Content News, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, National Survey of State Laws, Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases, Slavery in America and the World, UNC Press, What's New
Shannon Furtak

What a tumultuous year 2016 turned out to be! Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States surprised the world; many entertainment icons passed away, including actor Gene Wilder, actress Florence Henderson, singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, legendary musician and performer Prince, and psychic Miss Cleo, among many others. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia also died suddenly, leaving a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court that has yet to be filled…

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