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

44 SPECIALPROYlDENCE

wasa reversalofearlierdebatesinAmericanhistory,whenNewEngland
hadbeenmorepacifistic.NewEnglandhadlittlesympathyforAmeri-
canexpansioninthePacific,anditsdelegationopposedtheannexations
ofHawaiiandthePhilippines.Thelatterwasratifiedbya singlevote,
withtheNewEnglandsenatorsvotingheavilyagainst.NewEngland
hadalsoopposedtheWarofr8r2,theannexationofTexas,andthe
MexicanWar.("Areyounotlargeandunwieldyenoughalready?Have
younotIndiansenoughtoexpelfromthelandoftheirfathers'sepul-
chre?"JohnQuincyAdams-theformerpresident,nowacongressman-
askedtheSouthandtheWestduringa debate intheHouseonthe
annexationofTexas. 23 Theanswerwasinbothcasesemphaticallyno.)
TheSouthhadbeenconsistentlyannexationistand aggressive.As
notedearlier,beforetheCivilWarSouthernerslookedtoTexas,Central
America,andCubaformoreslavestates;afterwardtheycontinuedto
hopethatAmericanexpansionintheregionwouldbenefittheirimpov-
erishedarea.Southernvalueshadalwaysledmanyyoungmentopursue
militarycareers;theeconomicdevastationoftheCivilWarandthesocial
prestigeofitsveteransmademilitarycareersevenmoreattractivetosub-
sequentgenerationsand-afterserviceinthenationalarmyoncemore
becameacceptedinsouthernsocietyatthetimeoftheSpanish-American
War--establisheda distinctiveregional ethosofmilitaryserviceand
combativepatriotismthatcontinuestoinfluencesouthernand,there-
fore,nationalpolitics.Thelongtenureinofficeofsouthernrepresenta-
tives in both houses ofCongress gave southern states unparalleled
opportunitiestoendowthemselves withmilitarybases;this network
deepenedtheregion'salreadyfiercelypatrioticpride.

F

rom the standpoint of Continental realism, the presence of

regionalandcongressionalvoicesintheAmericanforeignpolicy

processisonlypartoftheproblem.Behindthisrealityisanevendeeper

problem,one that notonly Continentalrealistsbutmanyobservers

schooledinhistoryandpoliticalscienceregardasanabsolutelycritical

deficiencyintheAmericansystem:itsdemocraticnature.

TheinkwashardlydryontheConstitutionwhenAmericansociety

begana processoftransformationfromtheelitefederalrepublicenvi-

sionedbymostofitsfounderstowardamuchmoredemocraticnational

state.TheAmericanpeopleinsistedonhavingamuchloudervoicein

foreignpolicythansomeofthefoundersthoughtwise;asa resultforeign