The law and related trial records convey moments of history involving people who otherwise left few records behind. Court records provide students with compelling stories that convey unique elements of historical life. This article explores theories of punishment and mercy while introducing readers to a variety of legal databases and lesson plans in the inquiry-based model of teaching. By focusing on the anatomy of law and punishments in early modern England, the article presents a formula for teaching crime, law, and mercy that may be applied for any historical subject in the college classroom
