Chapter Outline
1.1 Basic American Legal Principles
1.2 Sources and Types of Law
1.3 Important Business Laws and Regulations
Introduction
Learning Outcome
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Describe the foundation and sources that establish American law.
1.1
Basic American Legal Principles
The American legal system has its roots in the British legal system. It was developed with the purpose of
establishing standards for acceptable conduct, proscribing punishment for violations as a deterrent,
establishing systems for enforcement, and peacefully resolving disputes. The ultimate goal of the American
legal system is promotion of the common good.
Establishing Standards
The American legal system was developed with the goal of establishing a set of standards that outline what is
to be considered minimally acceptable behavior. Broadly speaking, federal laws are those that all United States
citizens are expected to follow. State and local laws may often be similar to federal laws, but they may also
differ quite a bit, and only govern the state’s citizens.
Figure 1.1 (Credit: MarkThomas /pixabay /Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))
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American Law, Legal Reasoning, and the Legal System