In the shadow of leviathan: The development of conservative republicanism in Virginia's political thought, 1790-183

My dissertation is focused on the intellectual and political foundations of the 'principles of 1798'. Beginning with the ratification of the Constitution, and the struggle with Federalism, Virginia's Republicans developed a coherent and distinct political theory of republicanism. They drew on the American Revolutionary tradition and their own experiences, for the materials necessary to construct their political ideology, forging their ideas in the debates over Hamiltonian financial and foreign policies.;Their ideology depended on identification of the proper moral and social foundations, and the proper political structures, necessary for the preservation of republican government. Their social ideal emphasized consensus and stability mediated by proper moral behavior, firmness of character and strengthening the commitment to public virtue. Stability and order would result from a combination of exhortation, example and natural social arrangements, that would bind the community together, prevent instability and ensure the preservation of society and polity, in a system of "mutual wants and reciprocal services", as John Page of Rosewell put it in 1795. Without this foundation, no republic could be sustained.;Proper political structures would have to be established for the moral and social foundations to be maintained unimpaired. Republicanism depended on preserving the autonomy of local communities, with their unique social and economic arrangements, from both improper behavior and outside interference. Improper behavior could be restrained by encouraging political participation. As citizens acted politically, they would become aware of the shared values and interests of the community and of the entire network of the 'mutual wants and reciprocal services' that sustained the community, deepening their commitment to the preservation of stability and order. Outside interference was restrained by the delicate web of local, state and federal relations, symbolized by the Constitution, designed to protect the interests of the local communities.;The dissertation explores the ideological, social, moral and political ideas of the Virginia Republicans, that contributed to the 'principles of 1798', the relation of their principles to the political events of the 1790's, and the role ideas and ideology played in the Virginia Resolution and the crisis over the Alien and Sedition acts. Finally, I also discuss the nature of republican ideology in the period after 1800, as social, economic and political changes buffeted Virginia, and republican ideology became increasingly conservative and defensive of slavery and slave society.