Mead again ( Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World ): “As early as 1832, the United States sent a fleet to the Falkland Islands to reduce an Argentine garrison that had harassed American shipping. The Mexican War was, of course, the greatest example of . . . . Continue Reading »
It’s remarkable how long Americans had designs on annexing Canada to the United States. Theodore Roosevelt wrote in 1887 that it was a shame that the US hadn’t “insisted even more than we did upon the extension northward of our boundaries.” It would have been better for . . . . Continue Reading »
Mead again: He points out that between the Constitution and the Civil War, American Presidents had far more international and diplomatic experience than during the twentieth century: “of the first nine presidents of the united states, six had previously served as secretary of state, and seven . . . . Continue Reading »
In his lively and readable Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World , Walter Russell Mead emphasizes early America’s dependence on foreign trade. A Congressman said in 1846 that Illinois needs “the market of the world” for its agricultural products, . . . . Continue Reading »
In a 2006 article in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal , Frederick Mark Gedicks points out the impotence of civil religion in a pluralist society: “The irony of civil religion is that it is supposed to provide a substitute for theestablished church, a means of morally instructing . . . . Continue Reading »
Is America a “Christian nation”? A perennial puzzle, and finally impossible to answer without many “in what respects?” qualifiers. One distinction might help: Presuppose a nation full of Christians, as America was for much of its history. That nation might take various . . . . Continue Reading »
Was “religion” in the First Amendment implicitly understood to mean “Christian denominations” or “Christianity”? Not by everyone. During the debates over disestablishment in Virginia in 1785, Jefferson explained that the vote on one amendment proved that . . . . Continue Reading »
In his book, A Christian America , Robert Handy describes some of the debate concerning the First Amendment: “The religious question was given considerable attention during the debate over the First Amendment. Madison apparently would have liked to have the remaining establishments in the . . . . Continue Reading »
In 1500, Europe had five hundred independent political units. Four centuries later, it had twenty-something. How did this happen? According to Charles Tilley ( The Formation of National States in Western Europe ), this was the result of deliberate efforts at state-building. He writes, . . . . Continue Reading »
In a 1998 essay, “Is America an Experiment?” Wilfred McClay notes that, for all our supposed materialism and pragmaticism, Americans are “a remarkably introspective people,” with an “incorrigible” habit of trying to divine the meaning of our country. McClay lists . . . . Continue Reading »
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