Localism and the Limits of Political Brokerage: Evidence from Revolutionary Vermont

Previous research argues that political brokers between rival factions play a critical role in state centralization because they help national state builders to undermine local autonomy. In contrast, this article demonstrates how coordinator elites who forge relationships within communal networks act as a counterweight to more cosmopolitan brokers, representing local interests. Evidence from new archival data on credit networks and political mobilization in Revolutionary Vermont shows that such local powerholders used their strategic position in economic networks to gain influential political offices. Moreover, coordinators strengthened local political factions that linked to national politics without eroding the interests of local communities.