This is a survey course to examine some of the laws, public, and social policies impacting race in America from the 17th century to the present. The emphasis is on constitutional law, the laws of slavery and the African-American experience. While some attention is devoted to suffrage movements and the history of disenfranchised groups in America; the internment of the Japanese American citizens in the infamous Korematsu case; interracial marriages; and the education cases, the focus is on the African American history and experience and its impact upon the law and social policies and visa versa. The course is designed to provide a historic perspective as the foundation for discussions of contemporary race relations.