The essays in this volume explore some of the potentially divisive realities that characterized the Federalist Era. Nine distinguished authors address themes that include the ideological assumptions that fueled the political debate, the interrelated chracter of social and political history, the role of the courts as an emerging force in arbitrating and containing conflict, and the expansionist impulses that pushed the new nation's borders westward. Gordon S. Wood introduces the collection with an incisive overview of the bold ambitions and unfulfilled aspirations of the critical first decade of the United States.

Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States.

For the newly united states under the Constitution, the central question during the 1790s was whether the center would hold. James Madison & his colleagues had envisioned an extended republicÓ & had given it structural expression in the document they crafted in Phila. in the summer of 1787. Would it actually prove able to hold the republic together, establish the foundation of a firm national economy, & give the nation a respectable presence abroad? Would the centrifugal forces that threatened the new nation overwhelm & irrevocably splinter the great experiment in republican government? The essays by 10 distinguished authors in this volume explore some of the potentially divisive realities that characterized the Federalist Era.

A multifaceted approach to The Federalist that covers both its historical value and its continuing political relevance.

Praise for Jackson's Way "A compelling account of Jackson's Indian-fighting days . . . as well a grand sweep of the conquest of the trans-Appalachian West, a more complex, bloody, and intrigue-filled episode than is generally appreciated. . . . Mr. Buchanan writes with style and insight. . . . This is history at its best." -The Wall Street Journal "An excellent study . . . of an area and a time period too long neglected by historians . . . provides valuable new information, particularly on the Indians." -Robert Remini, author of Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars "John Buchanan has written a book that explodes with action and drama on virtually every page. Yet the complex story of the birth of the American West never loses its focus-Andrew Jackson's improbable rise to fame and power. This is an American saga, brilliantly told by a master of historical narrative." -Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America From John Buchanan, the highly acclaimed author of The Road to Guilford Courthouse, comes a compulsively readable account that begins in 1780 amidst the maelstrom of revolution and continues throughout the three tumultuous decades that would decide the future course of this nation. Jackson's Way artfully reconstructs the era and the region that made Andrew Jackson's reputation as "Old Hickory," a man who was so beloved that men voted for him fifteen years after his death. Buchanan resurrects the remarkable man behind the legend, bringing to life the thrilling details of frontier warfare and of Jackson's exploits as an Indian fighter-and reassessing the vilification that has since been heaped on him because of his Indian policy. Culminating with Jackson's defeat of the British at New Orleans-the stunning victory that made him a national hero-this gripping narrative shows us how a people's obsession with land and opportunity and their charismatic leader's quest for an empire produced what would become the United States of America that we know today.

This is the first study in half a century to focus on the election of 1796. At first glance, the first presidential contest looks unfamiliar—parties were frowned upon, there was no national vote, and the candidates did not even participate (the political mores of the day forbade it). Yet for all that, Jeffrey L. Pasley contends, the election of 1796 was “absolutely seminal,” setting the stage for all of American politics to follow. Challenging much of the conventional understanding of this election, Pasley argues that Federalist and Democratic-Republican were deeply meaningful categories for politicians and citizens of the 1790s, even if the names could be inconsistent and the institutional presence lacking. He treats the 1796 election as a rough draft of the democratic presidential campaigns that came later rather than as the personal squabble depicted by other historians. It set the geographic pattern of New England competing with the South at the two extremes of American politics, and it established the basic ideological dynamic of a liberal, rights-spreading American left arrayed against a conservative, society-protecting right, each with its own competing model of leadership. Rather than the inner thoughts and personal lives of the Founders, covered in so many other volumes, Pasley focuses on images of Adams and Jefferson created by supporters-and detractors-through the press, capturing the way that ordinary citizens in 1796 would have actually experienced candidates they never heard speak. Newspaper editors, minor officials, now forgotten congressman, and individual elector candidates all take a leading role in the story to show how politics of the day actually worked. Pasley's cogent study rescues the election of 1796 from the shadow of 1800 and invites us to rethink how we view that campaign and the origins of American politics.

This is the definitive concise military history of the Revolutionary War and the fourth volume in the West Point History of Warfare series is packed with essential images, exclusive tactical maps, and expert analysis commissioned by The United States Military Academy at West Point to teach the art of war to West Point cadets. The United States Military Academy at West Point is the gold standard for military history and the operational art of war, and has created military history texts for its cadets since 1836. Now, for the first time in more than forty years, the Academy has authorized a new series on the subject that will bear the name West Point. The first three volumes of the West Point History of Warfare released to the public have received rave reviews (and an Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award) for their “superbly written” texts and their extraordinary maps, images, and data visualizations. The West Point History of the American Revolution is the last volume in this series of definitive concise military histories. Before it was a military academy, West Point was the most important fortress of the American Revolutionary War. Cadets at the Academy learn about the War of Independence in their “History of the Military Art” course, and now this text is available to the public so everyone can understand the birth of the United States Army, the military leadership of Generals George Washington and Nathanael Greene, and the failed British strategies that shaped the conflict. Award-winning military historians Samuel J. Watson, Edward Lengel, and Stephen Conway explain the military and political background to the war and its immediate causes, conduct, and consequences. Concise narrative and lucid analysis are complemented by an impressive array of artworks, contemporary cartoons, excerpts from participants’ letters and memoirs, and dozens of full-color maps prepared under the direction of West Point military historians. Authoritative, illuminating, and beautiful, The West Point History of the American Revolution belongs in the library of every serious student of the American Revolution.