Documentary History of the First Federal Congress of the United States of America, March 4, 1789-March 3, 1791

Three new volumes in this acclaimed series present letters written by and to members of the First Federal Congress and communications from other informed individuals at the seat of government in New York City by 1789. The letters bring the official record to life by providing details about the political process through which Congress began to accomplish its daunting agenda by establishing the first federal revenue system, fleshing out the executive and judicial branches outlined in the Constitution, drafting the Bill of Rights, and beginning to tackle the divisive issue of locating the permanent federal capital. The documents supply a rich source of information about the members' opinions on issues, lives in New York and concerns about their distant families, and the services they provided for constituents, as well as constituent opinions about issues. They also make available for the first time in English the frank and insightful letters of the French minister on the subject of the new federal government.

Charlene Bangs Bickford is the director and coeditor of the Documentary History of the First Federal Congress, 1789-1791.

This complete and well-edited record of the First Federal Congress is a model documentary edition. Historians of the early republic owe thanks to the editors and publisher of this exemplary collection. -- Kenneth R. Stevens Journal of the Early Republic 2006