Description
Agents of Empire explores the institutional foundations of American politics through the lens of colonial governance. Sean Gailmard demonstrates how English imperial administrative structures and practices were adapted and transformed by American colonists to create distinctive political institutions.
The work traces the evolution from Crown-appointed governors to representative assemblies, showing how conflicts between imperial authority and colonial interests generated institutional innovations. Gailmard argues that understanding these colonial-era governance disputes is essential to comprehending the American Revolution and the subsequent construction of the Constitution.
By analyzing the political economy of colonial institutions, the book reveals how agents of empire—both English officials and colonial leaders—negotiated power relationships that ultimately produced uniquely American political arrangements. This institutional perspective provides new insights into why the American political system developed differently from other British colonies.
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