Aggressive Nationalism: McCulloch v. Maryland and the Foundation of Federal Authority in the Young Republic
"A firm narrative that will be fascinating to the general reader"--Maryland Historical Magazine"Richard E. Ellis has once again earned great admiration from all students of American history. Lucid, forceful, and important,Aggressive Nationalismwill fundamentally change the standard views of emerging American nationalism and the fascinating politics that lay behind it. It is a major contribution from a consistently impressive and pioneering historian."--Sean Wilentz, Princeton University"Richard Ellis always finds new ways of understanding familiar topics - with the added, singular virtue of being so right. A judicious historian, Ellis determinedly renders historical events in real time and place. John Marshall'sMcCulloch v. Marylandopinion--long a chestnut of constitutional interpretation and analysis--endures as a bold statement for perennial problems of federalism and constitutional interpretation (despite Justice Scalia's misguided disdain). Ellis effectively challenges Marshall's questionable determination to protect the Bank of the United States; but Ellis also properly recognizes that Marshall's striking language remains the standard for a wise, pragmatic, and evolving interpretation of the Constitution. We can be grateful for this extraordinary book."--Stanley Kutler, author ofPrivilege and Creative Destruction: The Charles River Bridge Case"Both scholarly and readable, this study puts the great case ofMcCulloch v. Marylandin a clear historical context. It will enlighten both students and specialists."--Michael Les Benedict, Ohio State University"The Ellis text offers insightful analysis of how individual states fared before, during, and after the national bank controversy."--Law and Politics Book Review"a detailed account of one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court cases in the early nineteenth century...Ellis is adept at using the story ofMcCullochto illuminate the broader politics of the middle Jeffersonian era...Ellis's careful attention to the conflicted feelings about the loss of control over credit and revenue in the states in the 1810s is most welcome."--The Journal of American History"Ellis's book should be read for its valuable exploration of sub-state versus federal constitutional politics."--The American Historical Review