American Exceptionalism
I wanted to discuss American exceptionalism as a companion piece to TLS’ excellent post this morning, Transnationalism v. The Constitution. Earlier this week, Rich Lowry and Ramesh Ponnuru published: An Exceptional Debate: The Obama administration’s assault on American identity.
What do we, as American conservatives, want to conserve? The answer is simple: the pillars of American exceptionalism. Our country has always been exceptional. It is freer, more individualistic, more democratic, and more open and dynamic than any other nation on earth. These qualities are the bequest of our Founding and of our cultural heritage. They have always marked America as special, with a unique role and mission in the world: as a model of ordered liberty and self-government and as an exemplar of freedom and a vindicator of it, through persuasion when possible and force of arms when absolutely necessary.
The survival of American exceptionalism as we have known it is at the heart of the debate over Obama’s program….At stake isn’t just a grab bag of fiscal issues, but the meaning of America and the character of its people: the ultimate cultural issue.
Our Republic came from the hearts and minds of men who had thought and debated long and hard about law, liberty and government. The structure of our government was not superimposed on a people. The specific historical and religious heritage of this nation yielded in men the substance of thinking that gave birth to the structure of our government. In the strands the Founders drew together to form our Republic they created an archetype of government.
Thomas Paine wrote:
The Grecians and Romans were strongly possessed of the spirit of liberty but not the principle, for at the time they were determined not to be slaves themselves, they employed their power to enslave the rest of mankind.
To paraphrase Thomas Paine, these were men who not only possessed the spirit of liberty, but had also inculcated the principle of liberty. Without our unique British heritage of hundreds of years of hammering out the curtailment of the power of kings, the rights of men and the rule of law through words and revolutions (the Charter of Liberties, the Magna Carta, Oliver Cromwell, Lex Rex, John Locke, the Glorious Revolution, William Blackstone) we would have had no free Englishmen ready for the American Revolution. In addition, without the influence of the Judeo-Christian understanding of the nature of man and the drive for power, of personal responsibility and accountability to God, of the nature of integrity and character, we would have had no Founders ready to sign their names to a document stating that unalienable rights are endowed by God; we would have had no men such as George Washington ready to stay the course for liberty.
Lowry and Ponnuru discuss details of our British heritage of liberty, differentiating between England and Europe and write:
These endowments made it possible for the Americans to have a revolution with an extraordinary element of continuity. Tocqueville may have been exaggerating when he said that Americans were able to enjoy the benefits of a revolution without really having one, but he wasn’t far off the mark. The remnants of old Europe that did exist here — state-supported churches, primogeniture, etc. — were quickly wiped out. Americans took inherited English liberties, extended them, and made them into a creed open to all.
Exact renderings of the creed differ, but the basic outlines are clear enough. The late Seymour Martin Lipset defined it as liberty, equality (of opportunity and respect), individualism, populism, and laissez-faire economics. The creed combines with other aspects of the American character — especially our religiousness and our willingness to defend ourselves by force — to form the core of American exceptionalism.
They tie our economic heritage to our heritage of liberty.
This framework of freedom made possible the flourishing of the greatest commercial republic in history….
…In New England, the Puritan merchants wrote at the top of their ledgers, “In the name of God and of profit.” Even before the Revolution, we were the most prosperous country per capita in the world.
In a telling coincidence, the publication of Adam Smith’s world-changing free-market classic, The Wealth of Nations, coincided with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Many of the Founders read the book. Without the medieval encumbrances and the powerful, entrenched special interests that plagued other countries, the United States could make Smith’s ideas the basis of its economic dispensation….
In the latitude provided by this relatively light-handed government, a commerce-loving, striving, and endlessly inventive people hustled its way to become the greatest economic power the world has ever known….
Many of you may already know that the Pilgrims, having nearly starved to death at Plymouth Colony through an experiment in communal farming, prospered when each family was responsible for their own garden. At Big Government, Kerry Byrne, in Pilgrims and Minutemen: Lessons for the Left from 1623 and 1776, reiterates this early history and also has several quotes from David McCullough’s book, 1776, that Byrne uses to demonstrate continued American prosperity.
Upon their invasion of Brooklyn:
“The Hessian and British troops alike were astonished to find Americans blessed with such abundance – substantial farmhouses and furnishings. ‘In all the fields the finest fruit is to be found,’ Lieutenant von Bardeleben wrote … ‘The peach and apple trees are especially numerous … The houses, in part, are made only of wood and the furnishings in them are excellent. Comfort, beauty, and cleanliness are readily apparent’”
This quote from McCullough corroborates Lowry and Ponnuru.
“Americans of 1776 enjoyed a higher standard of living than any people in the world. Their material wealth was considerably less than it would become in time, still it was a great deal more than others had elsewhere.”
Lowry and Ponnuru briefly touch on our religious heritage and foreign policy before examining the history and thinking of critics of American exceptionalism.
Many of America’s European critics hoped that, over time, America would lose its distinctiveness. It would become just another developed Western country: more centralized, more elitist, more secular, less warlike, and less free. In short, a quieter, more civilized place.
The American Left has shared this maddened perplexity at its country’s character and this hope for its effacement. Marxists at home and abroad were always mystified by the failure of socialism in the U.S.
The history they discuss is worth noting, as is their extensive evaluation of Obama which clearly places him with the American Left. I highly recommend Lowry’s and Ponnuru’s work. For further reading Victor Davis Hanson adds a few comments to their article, and Conrad Black has a critique to which Lowry will later respond.
Lowry and Ponnuru write:
…one can only regard with wonderment what America stands for and all that it has accomplished in its amazing, utterly distinct adventure in liberty.
The United States of America is an exceptional nation. I say that with gratitude and with both pride and humility. Never forget it, and never quit fighting for it.
__________
H/T: NRO, Big Government.
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I found this quote highly amusing, but couldn’t figure out how to cram it into the post, so here it is:
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INC – very good written piece.
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Thanks, gnqanq. Lowry’s & Ponnuru’s piece was something I saw a number of days ago and it’s another one of those that was percolating in the back of my mind. Byrne’s column was back there as well!
Hillary’s announcement made my blood boil, and I thought this would work as a follow-up to the treachery of all those “transnationalists”.
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Wow, INC. That was awesome. While I’m am utterly flattered at your lead in, your piece is stand alone genius. However, it is uncanny how you and I ran parallel today.
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I also read this week words to the effect that unlike the Europeans, we are not the people with a history of subservience; liberty is written into our national DNA.
That is bad news for Obama and the Dems.
In The Federalist Papers, No. 63, Publius discusses the possibility of the transformation of our government into tyrannical aristocracy:
He lists various entities that must be corrupted to endanger liberty. He names the Senate and the House; the last body that he names is the American people.
Again, unfortunately for Obama and the Dems, they have seen the truth of these words played out. While there are those among us who have been corrupted, the active protests of the rest of us have hindered and hedged the abuses of liberty and of power of Obama and the Left.
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Hey, TLS. I frequently have various things bouncing around in my brain as I mull them over and wait for the right time to pull them together. Your post was a catalyst to write. Thanks!
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Found this on the Scotch-Irish from American Heritage.
When the Revolutionary War came, Scotch-Irishmen were the most whole hearted supporters of the American cause in each of the thirteen colonies. If before 1775 they were still regarded as aliens and immigrants, their zeal as patriots and soldiers changed all that. At home and abroad they were credited with playing a vital part in the struggle for independence. A Hessian captain wrote in 1778, “Call this war by whatever name you may, only call it not an American rebellion; it is nothing more or less than a Scotch Irish Presbyterian rebellion.” King George was reported to have characterized the Revolution as “a Presbyterian war,” and Horace Walpole told Parliament that “there is no use crying about it. Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson, and that is the end of it.” A representative of Lord Dartmouth wrote from New York in 1776 that “Presbyterianism is really at the Bottom of this whole Conspiracy, has supplied it with Vigour, and will never rest, till something is decided upon it.” Such testimony to enthusiasm for the American cause was not given to any other group of immigrants.
THE SCOTCH-IRISH
The Melting Pot: The ethnic group that blended
Should read the whole piece to get an idea about the Scotch-Irish. I believe that rebellious DNA that we have comes from the Scotch-Irish. Might give you insight on the American mentality of live let live but when you screw with me watch out.
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I consider myself full of common sense and, while not the sharpest pencil in the pack, pretty knowledgeable.
I have read some threads posted here at it is just a shame a whole fu….. bunch of you are not in Congress or in positions of Limbaugh, Beck, or Hannity.
(sigh)
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Thanks, gnqanq. Having known a few Presbyterians I’m not surprised.
I’m mixed Scots/English with perhaps a bit of Welsh.
This cracks me up:
“there is no use crying about it. Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson, and that is the end of it.”
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Americans will be exceptional performers in their fields of endeavor so long as the rewards are commiserate with the risks each is willing to take. When that is no longer the case, we wind down the road, just like Greece. The point where it is more profitable to game the tax and regulatory systems than it is to compete in the open market.
Sadly we are about 2/3rds the way to the latter by my reckoning.
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“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” — Samuel Adams, 1779
DrD is our Sam Adams.
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I think the extent to which we resist gaming the system will be the measure of the extent to which our Judeo-Christian heritage still holds sway. The Puritans didn’t write just “In the name of profit”, but “In the name of God and of profit.”
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Thanks for that quote, TLS. I was writing my comment #12 while you put it up.
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INC
I was awestruck by the comprehensive complexity of this piece! It creates a patriotric stirring just to read through your comments, along with all the supporting excerpts supplied.
When you stop to think about America’s birth and growth it seems to have been created and sustained by incubating a variety of principles centered around the free market spirit, individual effort, and steadfastness.
While I loved the contributions of Paine and Lipset, it was the early saga of William Bradford & the Pilgrams that I always find captivating, and so on the mark with exemplifying work ethic and it’s effect on general human behavior.
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We do have the smartest gals anywhere! TLS, INC, Justmary, janzam…and the list goes on and on!
thx for all the splendid posts and comments in them!!
mildy O/T, Scott Brown delivered a fabulous rebuttal to Obama’s weekly BS’Fest.
Senator Scott Brown Delivers Devastating GOP Weekly Address
enjoy!
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Jan, what Bradford and the Pilgrims gave us through their vision, their endurance and their faith in God cannot be overstated. We are in their debt.
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Justrand, the subtitle is funny–and typical:
Associated Press Then ‘Blames’ Senator Brown for Failure to Pass Health Care Bill
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DrD is our Sam Adams. — TLS
Well shucks, gee, blush, scratching foot in the dirt…..
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I enjoyed the low-key and yet clear message given by Scott Brown. He explains HC in terms of the people’s desires, rather than the self-absorbed wishes of a destructive, closed-minded Congress!
It’s heartening to be “heard” by at least one congressman!
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Well done, INC and TLS! Just excellent.
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While thousands of people spontaneously congregate for tea party functions, here is a photo opt from the newly formed “counter” movement, The Coffee Party Movement
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JM – Thanks! (for the compliment, the privledge, and the help
)
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#18 The similarity of those two comments was interesting, but if this all goes to hell we’ll be expecting you to bring the beer, Sam!
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janzam, I love the “throngs” at the Coffee Party “rally”. Of course, at each such event there’re more reporters than actual attendees.
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Here’s a Politico post, presented by HA, dealing with our cooperative and transparent Congress —> not! According to it’s projections, the CBO will have scored the reconcilation package by this weekend or Monday. Then the fun begins!
Included in this article is the text of Van Hollen’s memo. The dem’s approach is like playing a board game, where the opponents’s to be beaten are the people’s best interest by their man Obama’s place in history.
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…Justrnd, I thought it was an “alarming” picture, especially in terms of sheer numbers. However, I also was struck by the diversity and body language of the “Famous Five,” too!
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Oops, forgot the
link to post #25!
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I some how don’t think that group of 5 in NC will need to be booking the local Sheraton ballroom any time soon.
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TLS, I’ll even try to homebrew it myself if that is ok.
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Here is a great example of American exceptionalism. link. Imagine the scale this place operates under. 32000 cows is a lot of hooves.
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And another useful resource.
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I’ll even try to homebrew it myself if that is ok.
Sure, my favorite kind of beer is free!
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There’s a radio station down in Tampa whose slogan is –
“If its FREE its for ME!”
The DJ’s host a noon hour on radio swap meet M-F. Very popular.
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#29 I bought my hubby a home brew kit, and he hasn’t tried it yet.
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JM, it can be a lot of fun. But follow the directions explicitly. And temperature control is a must. I have had a whole pot of brew boil over to nothing because my electric stove did not have fine enough heat variation.
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JM – I got my hub one a couple of years ago. He has only used it a couple of times, but he sure a lot of funny when he gets around to it.
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funny = fun
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Been hittin the sauce early today, eh TLS?
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I am going to be virtuous and save myself for pineapple sake at dinner tonight…..and maybe Asahi….
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#39 I think I went from his prospective (fun), to mine (funny). As far as the sauce, my mother-in-law called today and that’s all I’m going to say
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My mother in law is satan, so I can relate. Well, maybe satan-lite. Or satan-esque. Adjacent? Doppleganger? Yeah.
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Wow JM, I didn’t know my husband had a brother!
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but since her Dad is a Saint, it all evens out!
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This is true.
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I am lucky, my mother in law adores me. Of course I butter her up with a bottle of Hennessy XO every time we go back to the home country.