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

236 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

chargingtheirresponsibilitiesunderit,Jacksoniansareboundtogether
ina socialcompact;outsidethatcompactis chaosanddarkness. The
criminalwhocommitswhat,intheJacksoniancode,constituteunfor-
givablesins(cold-bloodedmurder,rape,themurderorsexualabuseofa
child,themurderorattemptedmurderofa peaceofficer)canjustlybe
killedbythevictims'familiesorcolleagues,orbysocietyatlarge-with
orwithouttheformalitiesoflaw. InmanypartsoftheUnitedStates,
jurieswillrarelyifeverconvictpolice,whateverthecharge,norwillthey
condemnrevengekillersinparticularlyoutrageouscases. Therightof
thecitizentodefendfamilyandpropertywithdeadlyforceisa sacred
oneaswell.UnlikemostoftherestoftheWesternworld,Jacksonian
Americawidelyacceptstheroutineuseofdeadlyforcetopreventcrimes
againstpropertyandhasnohesitationaboutthedeathpenaltyagainst
minorsconvictedofcapitalcrimes.Deathtotheenemiesofthecommu-
nity!Itisa legacyfromcolonialtimes,confirmedbytheexperienceof
twocenturiesofAmericanlife,andoneofthemostdeeplyingrained
instinctsintheJacksonianworld.
Theabsoluteandevenbrutaldistinctiondrawnbetweenthemem-
bersofthecommunityandoutsidershashadmassiveimplicationsin
Americanlife.ThroughmostofAmericanhistorytheJacksoniancom-
munitywasonefromwhichmanyAmericanswereautomaticallyand
absolutelyexcluded:Indians,Mexicans,Asians,AfricanAmericans,obvi-
oussexualdeviants,andrecentimmigrantsofnon-Protestantheritage
haveallfeltthesting.ThroughmostofAmericanhistoryinmostofthe
country,thelawhasbeenhelplesstoprotectsuchpeoplefromeconomic
oppression, socialdiscrimination,andmobviolence, includingwide-
spreadlynchings.Legislatorswouldnotenactlaws;iftheydid,sheriffs
wouldnotarrest,prosecutorswouldnottry,jurieswouldnotconvict.
Thistellsussomethingveryimportant:ThroughmostofAmerican
historyandtoa largeextenteventoday,equalrightsemergefromand
dependonthispopularcultureofequalityandhonorratherthanflowout
ofabstractprinciplesorwrittendocuments.Themanysocialandlegal
disabilities stillsufferedinpracticebyunpopularminoritiesdemon-
stratethatthecourtsandthestatutebookseventodayenjoyonlya lim-
itedabilitytoprotectequalrightsintheteethofpopularfeelingand
culture.
Evenso,JacksonianvaluesplayamajorroleinAfricanAmericancul-
ture.Ifanything,theroleofJacksonianvaluesinAfricanAmericanlife
hasincreasedwiththeincreasingpresenceofAfricanAmericansinall
militaryranks.