Between Sovereignty and Anarchy: The Politics of Violence in the American Revolutionary Era

Abstract

In the 2004 publication of Beyond the Founders: New Approaches to the Political History of the Early American Republic a group of young historians sought to reinvigorate the study of political history by introducing what they proposed as a more encompassing approach to investigating circumstances during the early republic. Their method encourages scholars to go beyond merely partisan influences and assess the broader political culture of the era. The goal is to understand more fully the political impact of ordinary Americans who are typically relegated to the shadows of historical analysis. Whether a new paradigm was achieved remains a source of scholarly discussion, though clearly since its publication the anthology has influenced the study of the early republic. Between Sovereignty and Anarchy is an extension of those interpretative techniques introduced in Beyond the Founders.