Abstract
The ‘Epilogue’ concludes that this VSI may be taken as an effort to demonstrate how much of American history can be seen as connected to law and legal institutions. Of all the evidence demonstrating the role of law as a central force in the history of American culture, the most visible has been the status of the legal profession itself. Since the early settlements in colonial British America, a knowledge of law has been associated with governing institutions, politics, and influence in community affairs. The future role of the legal profession in American history is considered. Will the profession retain its position of centrality in American life?