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…