Democracy Institute Washington Township High School October 4, 2012

1. The Origins of American Democracy, 1700-1865Eric Davishttp:// fas-polisci.rutgers.edudavis@polisci.rutgers.eduhttp://new-middle-east.blogspot.com/ Democracy Institute Washington Township High School October 4, 2012

2. Key questions in studying the origins of American democracy

3. What are the key questions? Did the United States produce a unique form of democracy? Can we speak of an “American exceptionalism”? What historical traditions did the 13 colonies draw upon in creating American democracy? What role did religion play in the formation of American democracy? What form did that democracy take in the early years of the Republic and how did it evolve over time?

4. What are the key concepts? The ideas of American democracy National identity Historical memory Political leadership Political institutions and parties Foreign policy and democracy Political economic determinants of American democracy

5. An important concept to teach students is that of historical memory All nation-states require foundational myths upon which to build national identity “American exceptionalism” is a form of historical memory which is ritualized in our political institutions and our national holidays Once citizens forgot the past or fail to learn its significance, national identity is undermined American democracy and historical memory

6. Is American democracy unique?

7. What is “American exceptionalism”? Many commentators have argued that the US developed a unique form of democracy in 1776 The US had no feudal tradition and thus developed no rigid social hierarchy The highly favorable land to labor ratio meant that social class conflicts never appeared Americans could always move west to find new opportunities rather than engage in social conflict in areas of economic distress

8. Louis Hartz and “American exceptionalism” In The Liberal Tradition in America (1955), Hartz argued that the US never developed any strong commitment to political ideologies Especially absent was an interest in socialism Vast open spaces and resources promoted economic opportunity and produced a consensual political culture Hartz called this a Lockean consensus

9. Turner’s “Frontier thesis” In 1893 paper given at American Historical Society in Chicago, Frederick Jackson Turner argued the frontier made the US exceptional The frontier forced Americans to dispense with their European customs and traditions The ever shifting frontier created a new culture based in liberty and self reliance The rugged individualism that developed was increasingly intolerant of social hierarchy

10. 3 forms of “American exceptionalism” Protestant Christians thought America was blessed by God and would bring about the Christian Millennium Others saw American democracy as the logical outcome of the Anglo-Saxon liberal tradition Still others saw America as the product of a new Eden – a virgin land which created a people different from the Europeans and uncorrupted by the Papacy and monarchal rule

11. “American exceptionalism” and Manifest Destiny American exceptionalism helped create a strong sense of national identity It gave American political culture a strong religious overlay European settlers had gone to the New World to create a new “City on the Hill,” a new “Holy Land” This belief extended to concept of “Manifest Destiny” – that white Americans were destined by God to occupy North America from “sea to shining sea”

12. “American exceptionalism” and Manifest Destiny American exceptionalism continued until the 1960s to influence American political thought, when protest movements began to undermine it In The First New Nation, political sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset argued that the US was the first country to throw off colonial rule Our culture of equality and equal opportunity promoted a stable and unique democracy

13. The legacy of “American exceptionalism” Americans continue to think of the US as a special case among nations This has a strong positive impact on our collective sense of national identity However, it does not serve us well during times of social and economic decline such as we face today If US is destined to excel among nations, there is little guidance as to how to deal with decline and the loss of global economic and political power

14. The political philosophy of American democracy

15. The Declaration of Independence American thinking about democracy was strongly influenced by ideas of Natural Law The Declaration begins by referencing the “Laws of Nature” and “Nature’s God” During the Enlightenment, Natural Law challengedtheidea of Divine Right of Kings Natural Law is derived from nature and thus universal – all men have the powers of reason and morality inherent in humanity, not just the nobility

16. The Declaration and Natural Law The Declaration states that that “all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” It can be ascertained by use of our faculty of reason The document appeals to an authority higher than any existing man-made authority, e.g., the British crown Religion played a key role in development of American democracy - seen in reference to the Creator

17. Liberalism and the Declaration The Declaration is the logical outcome of the erosion of support for monarchical absolutism “…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…” Declaration’s logic rejects Hobbes and stands more in the tradition of Rousseau, as British liberal thinkers largely avoided discussing revolutionary change

18. Liberalism and the Declaration The Declaration accords with British liberal thinking in rejecting the Crown’s authority because it no longer respected the rights of its citizens in the 13 colonies There is no reference to social justice The Declaration does not mention the trifecta of the French Revolution of 1789 – liberté, fraternité, egalité (liberty, brotherhood and equality) It focuses on individual rights and fails to emphasize communitarian thought

19. The economic origins of the American Revolution

20. The Seven Years War The Seven Years War (1754-1763) dramatically increased Great Britain’s debt Britain created great resentment in seeking to extract more revenues from its colonies, This was especially true in American colonies which were highly prosperous (Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations [1776] notes that they were the most productive region in the world) This increase in taxes was especially hard on small entrepreneurs, artisans and craftsmen (such as those who formed the Sons of Liberty in Massachusetts)

21. Evolution of idea of representation Before 1763, colonists already differed with Crown on interpretation of British constitution Colonists had already developed multiple legislative assemblies, e.g., the Virginia House of Burgesses which held first meeting in 1619 By 1700, colonists already had a strong sense of political institutions and resented not being consulted in Parliament’s decision-making

22. British impact on ideas of representation Colonists were still loyal to Britain at time of French and Indian Wars (1763) British Parliament turned colonists against England with passage of multiple taxes which had negative economic consequences The Sugar Act (1764), Currency Act (1764), Stamp Act (1765), and Quartering Act (1765) negatively impacted American trade with Europe and the Caribbean These policies hastened support for revolution

23. Popular support for the Revolution Many merchants in port cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore opposed the Revolution due to their economic ties to England Estimates are that 15-20% of colonists remained loyal to the Crown A large but undefined group remained neutral, e.g., the Quakers Small farmers, small merchants, artisans and craftsmen were at core of Revolution, along with many plantation owners from southern colonies

24. Challenges to American democracy

25. How to treat the Native Americans? One of the tragedies of the formation of the US was the elimination of Native Americans Many were killed by diseases, others were killed in fights with settlers, others were run off their land, and others lost their identity through intermarriage Little respect was shown for Indian traditions and Native Americans were largely the victims of greed and commercial impulses

26. How to treat the Native Americans? Treaties signed with Native Americans were largely ignored Indians were pushed off their lands because of pressures to develop more farm land The environmental lessons of stewardship of the land, developed by Native Indians, were sacrificed as most forests on the East coast were destroyed by the late 19th century

27. Historical Memory: American democracy and the Greco-Roman Tradition

28. Tourists view Statue, 1899 Statue of George Washington, Horace Greenough, 1840 National Museum of American History

29. Greenough’s statue of Washington was meant to commemorate the centenary of his birth 1832 commission was for the Capitol Rotunda Greenough modeled Washington on the classical Greek God Zeus, but wrapped in a Roman toga There was no Christian imagery associated with the statue US was still culturally and politically insecure about its lack of traditions Commemorating Washington’s birth

30. The Roman Pantheon (126 BCE) The Supreme Court Building (1935)

31. Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt in 1798 and publishing of Description de l’Égypte between 1803 and 1826 spread interest in ancient Egypt and Egyptian architecture European states began to import obelisks from Egypt In using the obelisk form (555.5 ft.), the US was creating a monument that dwarfed all those in Europe The Egyptian Revival

32. The Washington Monument • Cornerstone laid 1848 but took 36 yrs. to complete (1884) • Anti-Catholic “Know Nothing Party” seized control of Monument Commission 1855-1861, because Pope had given stone for the monument Robert Mills design, 1836

33. Drawing upon multiple traditions: Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and Christian, showed that the early US was to be a relatively tolerant society It also showed need for foundational myths This created the foundations of a nation-state built on diversity and cultural pluralism In everyday life in early US, Christianity as a religion did not dominate the federal government Religion was much stronger at state and local level The impact of the past on the US

34. Political Leadership: the Genius of the Founding Fathers

35. Founding Fathers and religion Most of the Founding Fathers – John Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams all Deists or Unitarians; Franklin was a libertine George Washington, a major American brewer, became an Anglican to join the British army and was extremely tolerant religiously In 1790 letter to the Jews of Truro, he wrote: The “Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistances, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens”

36. Founding Fathers and religion Jefferson produced a Bible that removed all references to Jesus as miraculous because he considered him an activist and mortal Thomas Paine’ Common Sense, makes no reference to religion Constitution has no references to Christianity, Jesus or Christ Does this mean that religion did not play a role in American politics?

37. Great Awakening and American Revolution Prior to Revolution, colonies experienced the first “Great Awakening” in 1730s and 1740s Protestant preachers such as John Witherspoon linked ideas of revolution to the Hebrew Bible Many pastors read revolutionary sermons in their churches Protestant churches inspired revolutionary fervor

38. American Expansionism and its Impact on Democracy

39. Jefferson said the US “could not keep its hands off Florida” 1812 US forces began invading Florida since Seminoles there had given refuge to slaves In 1818, after years of conflict, Gen. Andrew Jackson informed President Monroe that he was invading Florida (Monroe later denied giving him the order to invade) Despite most of country opposing invasion, Florida was ceded by Spain in 1819 via Adams-Onis Treaty Acquisition of Florida

40. What were the Barbary Wars’ origins? First Barbary War:1801-1805; the second:1812-1816 Barbary states: Sultanate of Morocco, regencies of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli (latter 3 were nominal provinces of Ottoman Empire) Morocco signed treaty with US in1777 and did not attack US ships; thus not part of Barbary Wars Barbary states offered to protect ships in Mediterranean Sea in exchange for protection money 1801 Jefferson refused to pay protection money and 3 states – Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli - declared war on US

41. Barbary States – North Africa (early 19th century)

42. What was the first Barbary War’s outcome? Despite an anti-Federalist and advocate of smaller government, Jefferson forced to build larger navy to protect US commercial expansion Barbary Wars led to many American sailors and merchant sailors being held hostage by Barbary states US Congress did not pay ransoms and some captives died in prison Most famous battle led to rescue of sailors from USS Constitution that ran aground in Tripoli harbor in 1803 after US marines and mercenaries attacked Tripoli after crossing Libyan desert from Egypt in 1805

43. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) added 828,000 sq. miles for $15 million or 15 cents/acre Called the greatest real estate deal in history Purchase was justified so as not to have France, a potential enemy to our West Louisiana Purchase was the part of the idea which became known in 1840s as “Manifest Destiny” It was God’s will that the US to control all territories from “sea to shining sea” The Louisiana Purchase

44. Origins of War of 1812 (1812-15) US angry after Revolutionary War when Britain refused to withdraw from Great Lakes territory Britain continued to support Native American tribes Britain refused to sign commercial treaties with US and Britain tried to stop US exports to France in early 1800s as Britain and France fought Napoleonic Wars (1802-15) When US refused to comply, Britain began policy of impressment ofsailors on American ships which created strong tensions with Britain (Britain began policy1664) 1807 HMS Leopard fired on USS Chesapeake, leading to Embargo Act, which devastated New England economy

45. Impact of War on US foreign policy US militias fought poorly in War of 1812 but US still fought Britain to a draw US and Britain realized they had more to gain through cooperation than through war War strengthened American nationalism, national solidarity, and ushered in Era of Good Feelings US government’s self-confidence increased and many Americans saw 1812 as 2ndwar of independence

46. Mexican-American War and Manifest Destiny When Mexican-American War began, US had 8000 men which quickly became 60,000 with large number of men volunteering for army War another example of reliance on superior military force to achieve foreign policy aims War again demonstrated power of nationalism Texas’1837 declaration of independence from Mexico seen as prelude to annexation by US

47. The Mexican-American War (1846-48)

48. The outcome of war and expansion By 1850, US had proved via War of 1812 and Barbary Wars that it a naval power to be feared It had largely completed the goals of Manifest Destiny Apart from Alaska and Hawaii, US control of continental America was complete and, after Civil War, ready for a dynamic Industrial Revolution

49. Political institutions

50. Legislatures in 13 colonies developed idea of having a written constitution They made laws, organized colony’s economy and settled disputes The distance from England and the relative autonomy of the legislatures set the stage for US constitution Already in 1639, Connecticut’s constitution made no mention of “mother country” Legislative members were elected freeman who only pledged loyalty to Commonwealth (state) Institutional divergence from England