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"This book details the host of ways in which the U.S. Army impacted economic development in the period from the writing of the Constitution to the eve of the Civil War, and has analyzed the political forces behind the Army's actions. The Army's promotion of science and technology, its assistance in building infrastructure across the nation, its opening of new regions for white settlement through wars against native tribes and foreign nations, and its unifying of the nation by enforcing central state policies all propelled economic growth and helped launch the United States into a new era of commercial and industrial expansion at the end of the nineteenth century. Despite its small size, the Army was an actor of immense significance to the development of the American economy, as well as to the development of central state capacity."

ABSTRACTThis article explores how the musical Hamilton can be used as a way to bring students to a new understanding of American government at the introductory level. As a recent pop-culture smash, Hamilton has brought to the fore the possibility of a new civic conversation about our political beginnings. With many citizens lacking a sufficient understanding of American political culture at this fraught time, the introductory American government course is the ideal place to enhance civic understanding. This article discusses how music from the Hamilton cast album, as well as videos about the show, were used during two semesters of the introductory American government course at a regional public university. Doing so encouraged discussion and active learning about key concepts and critical moments in American history that have shaped politics through the present day.

This article explores the nature of congressional‐presidential relations regarding war making in the early republic. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, I argue thatCongress was not primary in war making during this period. Examining small wars, particularly those against native tribes, demonstrates how little influenceCongress had, with oversight generally occurring only after the fact. Rhetorical presidential support forCongress's role did not accord with their practical readiness to initiate and manage hostilities unilaterally. The willingness of modern presidents to act without congressional consent is therefore not necessarily a historical aberration.

This article reconsiders early American state capacity through a close examination of the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. The topographical corps, a bureau in the antebellum War Department, developed a form of conditional bureaucratic autonomy far earlier than recognized in previous scholarship, giving it a central role in shaping national economic development policies, especially in the nation's periphery. Unlike robust bureaucratic autonomy, such as that described by Daniel Carpenter (2001, 2010; see footnote 4), conditional autonomy is highly contingent and can quickly fracture if the surrounding environment changes. The long-serving chief of the corps, Col. John J. Abert, shaped the opinions of his supposed principals by managing the ideas, information, and proposals directed to them. When faced with challenges, the corps proved to be a flexible organization that adapted its methods to accomplish its preferred ultimate goals using different instruments. In the end, however, the corps' autonomy was threatened when it became involved in the sectional politics surrounding the potential building of a transcontinental railroad line. Once the corps lost several of the conditions supporting its autonomy, its downfall was swift. This article thus joins a recent wave of scholarship highlighting strengths within the early American state by foregrounding the role of the armed forces in statebuilding.

AbstractWe argue that laissez‐faire capitalism in its current form is unsustainable, and that if it is to survive, we need to develop a new moral capitalism. An underexplored source on the subject that may provide insight into current difficulties is the Hebrew Bible. We explicate four basic principles of the Hebrew Bible and Talmud on economic affairs, and show how these ancient ideas can be used to create a more moral economic system.