history of american law on this subject, which predates the constitution and predates the revolutionary war. remember, american law existed before there was a constitution. 13 years passed between the beginning of the revolutionary war and the ratification of the constitution and before that, the colonies were subject to british law and american law. american law that was written in each of the individual colonies and applying to each of those individual colonies. as judge sanford noted in the julia lynch case, the common law by which all persons born within the kings allegiance became subjects whatever were the situation of their parents became the law of the colonies and so continued while they were connected with the crown of great britain. it was thus the law of each and