Book Reviews
“The Age of Federalism” Book Review
Elkins and McKitrick highlight the importance of “The Age of Federalism” in American history
There is an argument which can be made that the Federalist decade inspired numerous monographs, but the focus of these publications was monochromatic at best. The publication of The Age of Federalism saw a new day dawn in the annals of American historiography. The Age of Federalism, written by Stanley Elkins and Eric McKitrick, was published in 1993.
Elkins, the author of Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life, and McKitrick, the author of Andrew Jackson: A Profile, co-wrote a history text which has been described as being a “dazzling book,” featuring one of the most “elegant and penetrating pen portraits of [Alexander] Hamilton”[1] ever written.
The size of The Age of Federalism, whilst it is reminiscent of a doorstep, should not deter prospective readers. The breadth and thoroughness of research that went into crafting The Age of Federalism is a testament to the level of commitment the co-authors had in bringing this book to fruition.
The authors, time and again, repeatedly remind readers that from their perspective the most distinctive aspect of the American republic was its…
