Verified Document

Leonard D. White The Federalist 1948 Book Review

Federalists Although it is now a ripe 65 years old, Leonard D. White's 1948 publication The Federalists remains highly relevant to studies of American history, politics, and governance. The Federalists is a seminal tome, and a benchmark with which to judge and evaluate subsequent writing on the subject of American public administration and its political and historical context. When it was published, reviewers were already calling the book "the first installment of what may already be called the definitive history of American public administration," (Hart, 1948, p. 703). As definitive as it was in 1948, the Federalists has been unsurpassed in the exact subject and content that Leonard White addressed. The language, packaging, and overall feel of the book might give away its age, but its endurance is due to more important matters such as erudite scholarship, reliance on primary sources, and unrelenting thoroughness.

One of the most enduring aspects of The Federalists is that White successfully carries out his mission, and accomplishes the goals of outlining the first chapter in...

As the title suggests, The Federalists is about the type of administrative functions that evolved in the American government first under George Washington and John Adams. The author discusses of course the Federalist papers and the raging debates about federalism and republicanism, but does so not just from a political philosophy or historical perspective but from a squarely practical and administrative one too. White analyzes how political philosophy informs public policy and its execution.
The Federalists also explores the ways federalist philosophy and practice impacted the evolution of American public consciousness, American constitutional law, and American norms of governance and power. In this way, White's book is not only useful to the student of politics and government but also of constitutional law, management, and leadership. Several of White's chapters address specific leadership traits and styles of presidents and key federalist figures that were formative in laying the foundations of…

Sources used in this document:
References

Gaus, J.M. (1948). American administrative history: Review of The Federalists. Public Administration Review 8(4): 289-292.

Hart, J. (1948). Book reviews: The Federalists. Retrieved online: http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2383&context=lcp

John, R.R. (1996). In Retrospect: Leonard D. White and the Invention of American Administrative History. Reviews in American History 24(2): 344-360.

Roberts, A. (2009). The path not taken. Public Administration Review 69(4): 764-775.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Federalist and Anti-Federalist Review Federalist Papers Were
Words: 1217 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Federalist and Anti-Federalist Review Federalist papers were written in support of the ratification of the U.S. constitution while anti-federalists were written in opposition of the same. The most important papers in federalist series were paper 10 and 5 both written by James Madison on the subject of power distribution within the federation. Anti-federalist paper 3 was written under the pseudonym Brutus and meant to oppose the arguments raised by Madison on

Federalist What Is a Faction Where in
Words: 2847 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Federalist What is a faction? Where in modern American politics do we see factions? How does Madison propose to quell the impact of factions in government? In Federalist 10, James Madison discussed the types of factions, parties and interest groups that result from differences in wealth and property, as well as differences of opinion in religion, politics or ideology. He thought that differences in wealth and rank, at least those not

Federalist Papers the Purpose of the Federalist
Words: 685 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Federalist Papers The purpose of the Federalist Papers The Federalist Papers were prepared to ensure that a constitution was ratified to provide a perfect union. The Papers focused on the concept of a perfect and improved union. While this could be the primary purpose of the document, it was also concerned with other things. Aspects of the federalist like welfare, safety, and union are inseparable, and the union seems to be much

Federalists & Anti-Federalists Federalists Vs. Anti-Federalists...
Words: 652 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Federalists & Anti-Federalists Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists The contextual framework of the historic debate between federalists and anti-federalists involved major institutional expansion and reform as well as the political sphere. Although both groups of leaders embraced popular accountability as the standard of government legitimacy, their respective approaches differed quite significantly; reflecting different perspectives on the perils of citizen participation, concentrated power, and the need for effective and energetic government (Borowiak, 2007). The leaders of

Federalist Paper 10, James Madison Discusses the
Words: 1547 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Federalist Paper #10, James Madison discusses the Union's ability to control and break the influence of specific factions over the governmental process. The paper includes many strengths, and a few weaknesses. Yet the overall paper convinced me of the purpose of the Union in this capacity. Federalist Paper # 10 begins with a discussion of the problem at hand, that of how to control the factions of a nation. The paper

Federalists Vs. Anti-Federalists Constitution of
Words: 838 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

It is interesting to note the statement of Semonche that Antifederalists tended to live inland where small farming operations were located while Federalists preferred to live along the coastlines in high commercial growth areas of the country. The Federalists view of the Constitution was one that questioned the compromises required in ratification of the Constitution as compared to the provisions of the 'Articles of Confederation'. However, there was more

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now