These boldly argued essays describe and analyse key developments in American politics and government in an era when political parties commanded mass loyalties and wielded unprecedented power over government affairs.

These boldly argued essays describe and analyze key developments in American politics and government during an era when political parties commanded mass loyalties and wielded unprecedented power over government affairs. McCormick follows the major parties from their emergence in the 1820s and 1830s to their transformation almost a century later, discussing the nature of governance and sorting out the complex relationships between politics and policy during the 'party period.'

'These essays document the emergence of Richard L. McCormick as a leading interpreter of American political history ... [He] is a skilled synthesizer. And he properly concludes from his reconnaissance of the field that policy warrants high priority on our research agendas.' Civil War History