224 SPECIALPR.OVIDENCEarena. Restricted state franchises with high property qualifications
meantthatin 1820 manyAmericanstatesset~igherpropertyqualifica-
tionsforvotersthanBritishboroughsdidforelectionsofmembersof
Parliament. FromJackson'spresidencyonward, universal male-and
now,universaladult-suffragehasbeenthebasisofAmericanpolitics
andpoliticalvalues.
His political movement, or, moreaccurately, the community of
politicalfeelingthathewieldedintoaninstrumentofpower,remainsin
manywaysthemostimportantinAmericanpolitics.Largelythoughnot
exclusivelyDemocraticthroughtheTrumanadministration(atradition
commemoratedintheannualJefferson-JacksonDaydinnersthatarestill
thehighpointsonDemocraticPartycalendarsinmanycitiesandstates),
the shiftofJacksonianAmericatoward theRepublican Partyunder
Nixonis themostimportantpoliticalchange inAmericanlifesince
WorldWarII,andthefutureofJacksonianpoliticalallegianceisoneof
thekeystothepoliticsofthis·century.
Forallthisinfluence,theJacksonianschoolgetsverylittlepolitical
respectandis morefrequentlydeploredthancomprehendedby both
Americanandforeignintellectualsandforeignpolicyscholars.Thatis
toobad;thedynamicsofAmericanforeignpolicyremainindecipherably
opaquewithoutanunderstandingofthisvitalforce.
Suspiciousofuntrammeledfederalpower,skepticalaboutthepros-
pectsfordomesticandforeigndo-gooding(welfareathome,foreignaid
abroad),opposedtofederaltaxesbutobstinatelyfondoffederalprograms
seenasprimarilyhelpingthemiddleclass(SocialSecurity,Medicare,
mortgageinterest subsidies),Jacksonians constitutea large political
interest. In somewaysJacksonians resemble theJeffersonians, with
whomtheirpoliticalfortuneswerelinkedforsomanydecades.LikeJef-
fersonians,Jacksoniansareprofoundlysuspiciousofelites.Theygener-
allyprefera loose federal structurewithas muchpoweras possible
retainedbystatesandlocalgovernments.Butthedifferencesbetween
thetwo movementsrunverydeep,sodeepthatduringtheColdWar,
membersofthetwoschoolswereonoppositesidesofmostimportant
foreignpolicyquestions.TousethelanguageoftheVietnamera,a time
whenJeffersoniansandJacksonianswereliterallyfightinginthestreets
overforeignpolicy,theJeffersonianswerethemostdovishcurrentin
mainstreampoliticalthoughtduringtheColdWar,whiletheJacksonians
werethemostconsistentlyhawkish.
Onewaytograspthedifferencebetweenthetwoschoolsis torecog-