A Federal Army, Not a Federalist One: Regime Building in the Jeffersonian Era

Abstract

This paper will explore the early years of the American republic, the early American presidency, and state-building in the young nation through the lens of partisan regime theory. Specifically, the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison will be examined in terms of their relationships to the military. Jefferson's ideological opposition to a strong Federalist military transmuted into qualified support, as part of the building of a Republican state. Madison subsequently attempted to continue the Jeffersonian revolution, but soon faced new obstacles that impeded his efforts to complete Jefferson's project. This episode in state-building demonstrates how the new Republican regime did not simply shatter parts of the old order, as Skowronek and others have suggested occurs when a new regime takes office, but rather attempted to mutate them into becoming loyal parts of the new order. Institutional change in this respect came about gradually, as the military, thought to be a Federalist bastion, was slowly transformed into an organization more amenable to Republicans.