Tiger,Tiger,BurningBright 225nizethatbothJeffersoniansandJacksoniansarecivillibertarians,pas-
sionatelyattachedtotheConstitutionandespeciallytotheBillofRights,
anddeeplycommittedtopreservingthelibertiesofordinaryAmericans.
ButwhiletheJeffersoniansaremostprofoundlydevotedtotheFirst
Amendment,protectingthefreedomofspeechandprohibitinga federal
establishmentofreligion,J acksoniansseetheSecondAmendmentand
therighttobeararmsasthecitadelofliberty.Tooversimplify,Jefferso-
niansjointheAmericanCivilLibertiesUnion(ACLU);Jacksoniansjoin
theNationalRifleAssociation(NRA).Insodoing,bothareconvinced
thattheyarestandingatthebarricadesoffreedom.
BothJeffersoniansandJacksonianscanovercometheirfearoffederal
powerintheinterestofregulatingbigbusiness,butotherwisetheydif-
fersharplyontheissuesthatjustifyfederalactivism.Jeffersoniansare
sometimes reluctantlywilling to suspend theirsuspicion offederal
powerwhenitisusedindefenseoflibertyathome-towriteandenforce
sweepingcivilrightslaws,forexample.Jacksoniansfindthesepoliciesto
beintrusiveandobjectionableinterferencesbeyondthepropersphereof
federalaction,butseenothingwronginfederalactivismagainstcrime,
evenatthecostofconstitutionalnicetiesthataredeartoJeffersonian
hearts.
ForforeignersandforsomeAmericans,theJacksonianschoolisthe
leastimpressiveofthefour. Itisthemostdeploredabroad,themost
denouncedathome.JacksonianchairsoftheSenateForeignRelations
Committeearethedespairofhigh-mindedpeopleeverywhereas they
holdupAmericanadherencetotheanti-global-warmingKyotoproto-
cols,starvetheUNandtheIMF, cutforeignaid,andbantheuseof
Americanfunds for populationcontrol programsabroad. When the
otherthreeschoolstalkabouttheproblemsofAmericanforeignpolicy,
thepersistenceandpoweroftheJacksonianschoolarehighontheirlist.
Whilesomeofthedespairmaybeoverstatedandperhapsa reflection
ofdifferentclassinterestsandvalues,itistruethatJacksoniansoftenfig-
ureasthemostobstructionistoftheschools,theleastlikelytosupport
Wilsonianinitiativesforabetterworld,theleastabletounderstandJef-
fersoniancallsforpatientdiplomacyindifficultsituations,ortheleast
willingtoacceptHamiltoniantradestrategies.YetwithoutJacksonians
theUnitedStateswouldbeamuchweakerpower,andtheotherschools
wouldsoonfeeltheirabsencemorestronglythantheynowbemoantheir
politicalviews.
PerhapsJacksonianpoliticsaresopoorlyunderstoodbecauseJackso-