Review
01/25/10
Source: Amazon.com
Date: August 7, 2008
American Virtue and American Power, By Dr. Andrew Cort, D.C., J.D. "Author of RETURN... (The Berkshires) - See all my reviews
In "The Never Realized Republic", Peter O'Lalor describes the great heritage of freedom and liberty that informed America's Revolutionary generation, the fundamental intentions of the Founders when they gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution, and the way these intentions were in many ways thwarted by the single-minded efforts of one man - the extraordinary Alexander Hamilton, the driving force of Washington's administration. (It is noteworthy, and praiseworthy, that O'Lalor never questions Hamilton's loyalty or good intentions; only his principles). As a result, the Founders' prevalent vision of a government with a duty to promote political, social, and economic justice for all its citizens, was transformed into Hamilton's personal vision of a government striving to aggrandize itself - through the accumulation of national wealth and global commercial dominance backed up by military might.
O'Lalor shows how these two visions, in many ways, reflect two classical ideals: the Greek and the Roman. (Colonial Americans were well-versed in ancient history, as well as English and European history. They understood that the age-old tension between virtue and corruption, and the historic struggles between freedom and tyranny, had much to teach them if they wished to create a future of liberty that would avoid the problems and failures of the past.) The Greeks had developed the ideal of government based on Duty: the duty to do good for the public good. The Romans, after the fall of their Republic and the initiation of the Empire, had developed the ideal of government based on sovereign Right: the right to dominate and expand.
England itself had a long tradition of pursuing the Greek vision, beginning even before the signing of the Magna Carta. Colonial Americans therefore considered themselves the heirs of a magnificent heritage of ever-expanding freedom and liberty, in which the duty of the Sovereign was to protect their way of life and promote the pursuit of happiness - not to `utilize' English citizens for its own aggrandizement. Thus, O'Lalor argues that the Revolutionary generation was not trying to break away from their heritage and create something altogether new: rather, they were simply protecting their sacred heritage. As the Declaration of Independence points out, the English king had failed in his duty to that heritage, and it was their responsibility to re-invigorate and protect their historic rights and liberties.
Later on, when the Articles of Confederation failed as well, the Founders gathered once again to try and correct the weaknesses of the Articles - but not to change their original principles. Therefore, as James Madison pointed out, the new Constitution did not create new principles, and for the most part it gave the government no new powers. Its intent was simply to improve the efficiency of the government's ability to enforce the original principles and powers.
There was, however, one `new' federal power: the power to regulate commerce. For this, notes O'Lalor, there was no precedent, and the Founders could not anticipate, from the past, how this new factor might play out. It was this power that Hamilton used "as leverage to finance his vision of an industrial-commercial and military regime, predicated on Roman virtue...." However, as O'Lalor reminds the reader, this new power "was never intended to finance the vision of any one particular person, or an ideology...." It was intended to further the goals of "the Revolutionary generation, whose vision was social, political, and economic equal opportunity." Because of the intercession of Treasury Secretary Hamilton (i.e., his slanted scheme for assuming and paying off the revolutionary War debt, the creation of a national bank, his coziness with wealthy factions, his one-sided encouragement of industry), this vision - the intended American Republic - was never truly realized.
O'Lalor's very good (and exceptionally well-documented) book tells this story from pre-Magna Carta days to the time when Hamilton's efforts came to an abrupt halt following his Report on Manufactures (which projected the future of the United States in the world economy, and which brought charges of corruption along with strong opposition to Hamilton's suggestion of supporting industry through subsidies). He nicely weaves together elements of ancient and modern history, economics, philosophy, religion and education. He grieves over the loss of what might-have-been, deploring the empty consumer society that seems to be the final end of our great American experiment. But he concludes on a hopeful note: "The government has a moral duty to serve people. If that is a given, society will progress toward peace and harmony. Then will America realize the republic of the Revolutionary generation."
This is a very pertinent and timely book, which all Americans should read.