102 SPECIALPROVIDENCEconnectedwithBritishsocietythanweretheotherEuropeanstateswith
theirs. The Anglican Church, originating in the tangled amatory
propensitiesofHenryVIII,wasa pragmaticandflexibleinstitutionby
comparisonwithbothitsProtestantandCatholicrivalsontheEuropean
mainland;evenitsownbishopswerelessfirmlyunitedindoctrinethan
intheirbeliefthatallgoodEnglishmenoughttobelongtothenational
church. By comparison with otherEuropean nations, Great Britain
lackeda statethatexistedoverandabovecivilsocietyandthatpresumed
toruleitbydivineright.
Bothsociallyandintermsofitsforeignpolicyinterests,theUnited
Statesmightbecalledthe"BritainofBritain."ComparedwithitsCon-
tinentalneighbors,Britainwasa loosesocietygovernedbypragmatism;
theUnitedStatestookthislogicseveralstepsfarther.Britain'smonarchy
existedbythegraceofParliament;theUnitedStateswouldbea repub-
lic.Britainhada weakstatechurch;theUnitedStatesdisestablished
religion.BritainwasanislandtradingnationprotectedbytheChannel;
theUnitedStateswasa continental tradingnation protectedbythe
Atlantic.
AsHamiltoniansworkedouttheirideas concerningAmericanfor-
eignpolicy,theyfoundthemselves-naturallyandinevitablyunderthe
circumstances-lookingatBritainas a model.Buttheywentbeyond
theirmodel.TheUnitedStateswasfartherfromEuropethanBritain
was,andevenlessexposedtothejealousiesofrivalpowers.Itsterritories
werelarger,itspopulationwouldeventuallybegreaterthananyofthe
Europeanpowers',anditfaced noprospectofequallypowerfulneigh-
bors.TheUnitedStatesinthelongrunwouldbealmostaslargeandat
leastaspowerfulasRussia;withthreethousandmilesinsteadofthirty
separatingitfromthenearestgreatpower,theUnitedStateswouldbe
saferthanBritainfromanyContinentalpower.
BritishpolicywasmorecommercialandlessmilitaristicthanConti-
nentalpolicies;Americanpolicycouldandwouldbemorecommercial
still.Indeed,theimportanceoftradewoulddeterminetheHamiltonian
definitionsofU.S.securityinterests.IftheUnitedStateswasisolated
fromEuropeanarmies,itwasalsopotentiallyisolatedfromEuropean
trade.TheweakestpointoftheUnitedStateswasitssealinkacrossthe
AtlantictoEurope.Accesstotradewiththerestoftheworldwould
clearly beaparamountAmerican interest.Itwas an interruptionof
trade,ratherthanthelossofterritorytorivals,thatwouldmostworry
Americanforeign policy intellectuals through thefirst 150 years of
nationalindependence.