Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
History and Archival Studies, MA
Program
School of Arts and Humanities
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Matthew Bowman
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Joshua Goode
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2025 Kylee N Robinson
Keywords
American, Conspiracy, Federalist, History, Republic, Republican
Subject Categories
History
Abstract
This thesis argues that the American conspiratorial worldview identified by Bernard Bailyn during the American Revolution persisted well into the early American republic period, having a significant impact on early republic society. Drawing on Michael Butter’s study of conspiracy theories, this study examines how early Americans continued to view republican government as inherently fragile and continuously under threat from corrupting forces. This conspiratorial belief established the common American worldviews that the right to personal representation and personal liberties were constantly at risk. Ultimately, this mindset influenced major political developments in the early republic period including the decision to declare war on Great Britain in 1812, and the eventual demise of the Federalist Party. This paper expands on early republic historiography and the study of American conspiracy theories.
ISBN
9798293829088
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Kylee Nikole. (2025). A Conspiratorial Republic: The Societal and Political Impact of Conspiratorial Knowledge in the Early Nineteenth-Century United States. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 1075. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1075.
