When we think about the founding of the United States, we often focus on the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and those first landmark elections.
But how did the United States actually build its federal government, the entire apparatus of state that could collect revenue, manage international diplomacy, provide law and order, and extend its reach across a rapidly expanding nation?
Who were the people who made that government work? And how did their service to the nation shape what it meant to be an American citizen?
Peter Kastor, a Professor of History and American Cultural Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and the Founder of the Creating a Federal Government, 1789-1829 digital project, joins us to explore the remarkable and often overlooked story of how the United States built its federal government between 1789 and 1829.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Episode Summary
Peter Kastor is a Professor of History and American Cultural Studies and the Associate Vice Dean of Research at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a scholar of the Early American Republic, and he also studies the American Presidency from its origins in the eighteenth century through the present day. Peter has written eight books, including William Clark’s World: Describing America in an Age of Unknowns. He joins us to discuss his digital project, Creating a Federal Government, 1789-1829.
During our exploration of the early federal government, Peter reveals:
- How the federal government was built from the ground up after 1789, including surprising continuities from the pre-Constitution era of government.
- What the day-to-day work of federal employees looked like, and how their service impacted the United States’ expansion and state-building.
- How digital tools can help us uncover the lives of more than 30,000 men and women who helped build the federal government, and how you can use those tools to explore their stories today.
What You’ll Discover
- The idea for the Creating a Federal Government digital project
- Origins of the United States federal government
- Federalism
- Structure of the U.S. Federal Government
- Congressional oversight of early Federal employees
- Advise and Consent
- Checks and balances of the United States government
- Marbury v. Madison (1803)
- Did the Founders design coequal branches of government?
- Size of the early federal government
- Growth of the federal government between 1797 and 1829
- Creating a Federal Government, 1798-1829 digital project
- Information about early federal employees
- Early federal government records
- Phases of the Creating a Federal Government digital project
- Women in the early federal workforce
- People of color in the early federal workforce
- Lessons from the Creating a Federal Government digital project
- Volunteer opportunities with the Creating a Federal Government digital project
Links to People, Places, and Publications
Time Warp Question
In your opinion, what if the Founding Fathers had been more cautious or focused on limiting the size of the nation’s new government? What would the development of the United States have looked like between 1789 and 1829?
Complementary Episodes
🎧 Episode 098: Birth of the American Tax Man
🎧 Episode 202: The Early History of the United States Congress
🎧 Episode 279: The Cabinet: The Creation of an American Institution
🎧 Episode 259: American Legal History
🎧 Episode 315: History and American Democracy
🎧 Episode 338: The Early History of the United States Senate
🎧 Episode 393: Politics and Political Culture in the Early American Republic
Support Our Work
Love what you hear on Ben Franklin’s World? Support the show and help us keep history accessible, independent, and deeply researched. Make a tax-deductible donation at benfranklinsworld.com/donate.
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