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

Tiger,Tiger,BurningBright 237

Theoften-blightedinner-citysociallandscapehasinsomecasesre-
createdtheatmosphereandpracticesofAmericanfrontierlife.Inmany
waysthegangcultureofsomeinnercitiesresemblesthesocialatmo-
sphereoftheJacksonianSouth,aswellasthehard-drinking,womaniz-
ing,violentmalecultureoftheMississippiinthedaysofDavyCrockett
and,a generationlater,MarkTwain.Braggingaboutone'sphysicaland
sexualprowess,thewillingnesstoavengedisrespectwithdeadlyforce,a
touchyinsistencethatoneisasgoodas anybodyelse-BillytheKid
wouldhavebeenrightathome.
Dr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.,wholikemanyAfricanAmericansgrew
upsurroundedbyandimmersedinJacksonianculture,showedenor-
moussensitivitytotheserealitiesevenashesetaboutworkingtoover-
throwsomeofthehabits,practices,andbeliefsmostdeeplyrootedin
that culture. King and his followers exhibited exemplary personal
courage.TheirrhetoricwasdeeplyrootedinProtestantChristianity.The
rightstheyaskedforwerepreciselythosethatJacksonianAmericavalues
mostforitself,thoughtheyscrupulouslyavoidedtheviolenttacticsthat
wouldhavetriggeredanunstoppableJacksonianresponse.Kingelicited
bloodyandviolentresistancefromJacksonianAmerica,buthetouched
itaswell,andthebulkofbothnorthernandsouthernJacksonianopin-
ionissteadily,ifnotalwaysrapidly,movingtorecognizetherightof
peopleofallcolorsandbackgroundswholiveunderthehonorcodetobe
consideredmembersofthecommunityandentitledtoitsrespectand
protection.
This newand hopefullygrowingfeeling ofrespectand tolerance
emphaticallydoesnotextendtothose,minoritiesornot,whoarenot
seenascode-honoringAmericans.Thosewhoviolateorrejectthecode-
criminals,irresponsibleparents,drugaddicts-havenotbenefitedfrom
thesofteningoftheJacksoniancolorline.Socialpolicyandfeelingabout
thesegroupshardenedevenascode-honoringminoritieshaveseena sig-
nificantandcontinuingimprovementintheirposition.

JacksonianPolitics

Asinthecaseoftheotherschools,Jacksonianforeignpolicyisrelated
toJacksonianvaluesandgoalsindomesticpolicy.ForJacksoniansthe
primegoaloftheAmericanpeopleis neitherthecommercialandindus-
trialpolicysoughtby Hamiltonians, theadministrativeexcellencein
supportofmoralvaluesthatWilsoniansseek,orJeffersonianliberty.