Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-298) and index.

"Seldom in the nation's history has there been a period so extraordinary in accomplishment as the first decade under the Constitution ... In a style as swift-paced as this exciting era deserves, Professor John C. Miller of Stanford University has added to the The New American National Series an absorbing and scholarly account of the political history of these years ... Abundant quotations from the sources enhance the vitality of the study revealing as they do the vigorous partisan flavor of an era in which the American people were sharply and seriously divided over political issues. Illustrations and a well-selected topical bibliography increase the value of the book for the student or the general reader."--The New England Quarterly

" ... scholarly, well organized, and resonant with the clash of great personalities and seminal ideas. It is an important and memorable contribution to the history of Federalism."--George Dangerfield

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