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.
","abstract_html":"<p>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.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Robinson, Kylee Nikole"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"History and Archival Studies, MA","degree_level":"Open Access Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Arts and Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joshua Goode"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:41:17Z","subjects":["American","Conspiracy","Federalist","History","Republic","Republican"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1075","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joshua Goode"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Robinson, Kylee Nikole"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-05-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Arts and Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["History and Archival Studies, MA"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["American","Conspiracy","Federalist","History","Republic","Republican"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1075"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["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.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Conspiratorial Republic: The Societal and Political Impact of Conspiratorial Knowledge in the Early Nineteenth-Century United States"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Joshua Goode"],"dc:creator":["Robinson, Kylee Nikole"],"dc:date.available":["2026-05-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.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.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1075"],"dc:subject":["American","Conspiracy","Federalist","History","Republic","Republican"],"dc:title":["A Conspiratorial Republic: The Societal and Political Impact of Conspiratorial Knowledge in the Early Nineteenth-Century United States"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Arts and Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["History and Archival Studies, MA"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:41:17Z"}