Presented by Willard Hurst as part of his course "Introduction to Modern American Legal History" at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1978. This discussion expands upon the previous introduction to the Charles River Bridge case by exploring the four-stage development that lead to the creation of today's modern corporation. Hurst undertakes this task by describing the suspicion that prompted the creation of special statutory requirements in the 1820's, the move to compulsory general incorporation acts in the 1870's, and the modern incorporation acts created in the 1890?s. This description ends with a return to the Charles River Bridge case, and the use of the monopoly clause.
