Commentaries on the Laws of England: Book 3, Of Private Wrongs

While America's Founding Fathers looked to various sources for political philosophy, the one they turned to predominantly in the field of law was Sir William Blackstone, a barrister and patron of King George III who set out on writing a comprehensive tome of English Common Law. In addition to being a popular work, the massive 4 book Commentaries on the Laws of England brought together all of England's legal precedents, allowing others (like the Americans) to rely on it while forming their own judicial codes. Even today, the U.S. Supreme Court frequently cites Blackstone when interpreting the Constitution.

Book 3, titled Of Private Wrongs, is about what the American judicial system calls torts, civil laws that prohibit certain non-criminal acts. Blackstone analyzes all kinds of these offenses, including trespassing, nuisance, and the civil procedure that went along with them.