Download or read book The Origins of the Federal Republic written by Peter S. Onuf and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2010-08-03 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historians have emphasized the founding fathers' statesmanship and vision in the development of a more powerful union under the federal constitution. In The Origins of the Federal Republic, Peter S. Onuf clarifies the founders' achievement by demonstrating with case studies of New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia that territorial confrontations among the former colonies played a crucial role in shaping early concepts of statehood and union and provided the true basis of the American federalist system.