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

Tiger, Tiger,BurningBright 23 I

orshemightgotoa Catholicchurchandneverlistentocountrymusic

(though,increasingly,heorsheprobablydoes).ButthecrabgrassJack-

soniandoesn'tjustbelieve,sheknowsthatsheisasgoodanAmerican

asanybodyelse,thatsheis entitledtoherrightsfromchurchandstate,

thatshepullsherownweightandexpectsotherstodothesame.That

homeownerwillbeheardfrom.Inbothdomesticandforeignpolicy,this

centurywillbeprofoundlyinfluencedbythevaluesandconcernsofJack-

sonianAmerica.

JacksonianValues

TounderstandhowcrabgrassJacksonianismisshapingandwillshape
Americanforeignpolicywemustbeginwithanotherunfashionablecon-
cept:honor.
AlthoughfewAmericanstodayusethisanachronisticword,honor
remainsa corevaluefortensofmillionsofmiddle-classAmericans.The
unacknowledgedcodeofhonorthatshapessomuchofAmericanbehav-
iorandaspirationtodayis a recognizabledescendantofthefrontiercodes
ofhonorofearlyJacksonianAmerica.Theappealofthiscodeisoneof
thereasonsthatJacksonianvalueshavespreadtosomanypeopleoutside
theoriginalethnicandsocialnexusinwhichtheywereformed.
Thefirstprincipleofthiscodeis self-reliance.RealAmericans,many
Americansfeel,arepeoplewhomaketheirownwayintheworld.They
maygeta helpinghandfromfriendsandfamily,buttheyholdandkeep
theirplacesintheworldthroughhonestwork.Theydon'tslidebyon
welfare,andtheydon'trelyoninheritedwealthorconnections.Those
whoforwhateverreasondon'tworkandarethereforepoor,orthosewho
don'tneedtoworkbecauseoffamilymoney,areviewedwithsuspicion.
Thosewhomeettheeconomicandmoraltestsbelongtothebroadmid-
dleclass,thebroadfolkcommunityofworkingpeoplewhomJacksoni-
ansbelievetobe theheart, soul,andspineoftheAmericannation.
Earningandkeepinga placeinthiscommunityonthebasisofhonest
workisthefirstprincipleofJacksonianhonor,anditremainsa serious
insulttosay,oreventoimply,thatsomememberoftheAmericanmid-
dleclassisn'tpullinghisorherweightintheworld.
Jacksonianhonormustbeacknowledgedbytheoutsideworld.Oneis
entitledto,anddemands,theappropriaterespect:recognitionofrights
andjustclaims,acknowledgmentofone'spersonaldignity.Manypeople