Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

"VindicatorOnlyof HerOwn" 177

TheJeffersonianParty

WhenAlexanderHamiltonunveiledhisproposalsfornationalcredit,
a strongcentralgovernment,anda pro-British,commerciallyoriented
foreignpolicyinthecabinetofGeorgeWashington,hesoonfoundhim-
selfopposedbyThomasJefferson,thenservingas thefirstsecretaryof
state.Thetwohadcrossedswordsbefore.InthedebatesovertheConsti-
tution,Hamilto.nhadcalledfora governmentasstrongandascentral-
izedaspossible,andforultimateauthoritytorestina powerfulexecutive
littledifferentfroma king. Hamilton'smoreextremeproposals were
defeated,butJeffersonwassodisturbedbythepowersdelegatedtothe
centralgovernmentthathehaddifficultyinsupportingtheratification
ofthenewConstitution,andplayedapartinthedevelopmentoftheBill
ofRightstolimitfederalauthority.
The disagreements between the two leaders have reverberated
throughAmericanhistorytothisday.Formorethantwohundredyears,
theAmericantwo-partysystemhasbornethemarksoftheoriginalquar-
relsinWashington'scabinet.Partiesriseandfall, ideologiescomeand
go,butAmericanpoliticianscontinuetowrestlewiththeissues-the
properrelationshipofcapitalismanddemocracy,thelimitsoffederal
powerwithrespecttothestates,thepeople,andtheeconomy-that
dividedJeffersonandHamiltonintheeighteenthcentury.
BothJeffersoniansandHamiltoniansagreethattheUnitedStatesis
andoughttobea democraticandcapitalistrepublic.Buttheydifferon
whichofthesetwoelementsisthemoreimportant.Hamiltoniansargue,
justlyenough,thatwithouttheprosperitythatresultsfroma healthy
capitalisteconomy,theUnitedStates.itself,muchlessitsdemocraticsys-
temofgovernment,cannotendure.Inanycase,Hamiltonianswonder,
whatwouldbe theuseofa governmentthatwas unabletoprovide
appropriate conditionsforthe protectionanddevelopmentofprivate
property?
ButJeffersoniansmaketheobviousandcompellingretortthatcapi-
talismandbusinesscannotflourishunlesssocietyitselfishealthyand
democratic.AndfurthermoreJeffersonianshavedarklyandrepeatedly
warnedthattheuncheckedoperationofcapitalismdoesnotalwaysrein-
forcedemocracy.Thedevelopmentofgreatfortunesandprivateconcen-
trationofwealthpervertsandsubornsthepoliticalprocess.Democracy
cannotbetakenforgranted;itmustbevigilantlydefended.
Sometimes,Hamiltoniansargue,itmustbedefendedagainstitself.