This course will examine four broad purposes. The first is to acquaint or reacquaint you with central concepts we have identified for studying the constitutional and legal history of African Americans. The second is to introduce you to the central trusts of our work for the term, the saga of race and law from the outset of the 20th century to the present. The third is to integrate this work with attention to the role and significance of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the shaping of the American constitutional order. The fourth is to consider broadly the historical patterns and ongoing challenges in the engagement between Blacks and the legal order of the United States.