Andrew Shankman examines the relationship between local power and the general power of the British Crown and, later, the federal government in what would become the United States from the colonial period through the Civil War. Shankman contends that “localities” — which he defines as local communities, colonies, or states — often played a strong role in shaping policy simply because of the geographic enormity of the region that the general power was attempting to control. Read more here.
