Within each state, the documents are arranged into sets on specific topics such as immigration laws, welfare and public education laws, and jury and testimony laws. Although in general the editor lets the documents speak for themselves, he introduces each set of documents with commentary pointing to the themes in the documents.

Foreword Preface Ordinance of 1787, Article 6 Introduction Ohio, March 1, 1803 Declaration of Rights Enumeration and Election Militia Policy Immigration and Residency Colonization Kidnapping Law Public Education Jury Law Reports: The Black Laws Runaway Slaves Relief for the Poor Miscegenation of the Races Civil Rights Summary of Cases Annotated Cases Suggested Readings Indiana, December 11, 1816 Declaration of Rights Slavery Indentured Servants and Laborers Suffrage and Election Militia Policy Immigration and Residency Miscegenation Laws Taxation and Enumeration Colonization Kidnapping Fugitive Slaves Testimony and Witness Public Education Civil and Legal Rights Summary of Cases Annotated Cases Suggested Readings Illinois, December 3, 1818 Declaration of Rights Militia Policy Suffrage and Elections Servants and Slaves Immigration and Residency Kidnapping Testimony and Witness Runaway Slaves and Servants Miscegenation of the Race Civil and Legal Rights Summary of Cases Annotated Cases Suggested Readings Michigan, January 26, 1837 Declaration of Rights Kidnapping Indentured Servitude and Slavery The Militia Public Education Miscegenation of the Races Civil and Legal Rights Summary of Cases Annotated Cases Suggested Readings Wisconsin, May 29, 1848 Declaration of Rights Suffrage and Elections Runaway Slaves Personal Liberty and Legal Rights Summary of Cases Annotated Cases Suggested Readings Index

This book brings together the Black Laws of the Old Northwest (now the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin) for the first time, thereby providing a documentary history of racial discrimination in this free territory.