[Thomas DiLorenzo will be teaching an online Mises Academy course titled "Lincoln: Founding Father of the American Leviathan State" from May 9, 2013 thru June 5, 2013.]
In an essay entitled “Lincoln, the Declaration, and Secular Puritanism: A Rhetoric for Continuing Revolution,” the late Professor Mel Bradford explained the ideological genesis of American foreign and military policy that has existed since 1861. Abraham Lincoln’s “erroneous understanding of the Declaration of Independence” ….“a rhetoric for continuing revolution” and “set us forever to ‘trampling out the grapes of wrath.’”
Professor Bradford was referring to the way in which Lincoln used the “all men are created equal” phrase from the Declaration and reinterpreted it to have meant that it was somehow the duty of Americans to stamp out all sin in the world, wherever it may be found...... It was cemented into place as the new cornerstone of American policy thanks to the deification of Lincoln after his death, which in turn led to the virtual deification of the presidency, and of government in general. The modern-day rhetoric of “American exceptionalism” is just the latest expression of Lincoln’s rhetoric of continuing revolution.
Prior to 1863, the year of the Gettysburg Address, American foreign policy was based mostly on the Washington/Jefferson ideology of commercial relations with all nations, entangling alliances with none. It was considered to be a virtue to remain neutral in disputes between two other countries…… “neutrality was considered not only justifiable but a positive virtue.” In the old days “he kept us out of war” was a great tribute to any American political leader, and “standing idly by” while other nations warred with each other was “a mark of high statesmanship,” according to Rothbard. …To Read More…
My Take - I found this to be thought provoking, and I have to admit, this presentation put a new light on events that I admired. I never thought of this in this way before. Anyone who is a student of history knew that the Civil War altered the relationship between the federal government and the states forever. Before the Civil War the term used was "These United States". After the war the term used was "The United States". An important distinction, but until now it never occurred to me that the foundational thinking and philosophical justification for becoming embroiled in all these messy foreign political battles was laid at Gettysburg.
It was clear that Wilson absolutely altered the rules regarding foreign intervention with the sinking of the Lusitania, a British registry passenger ship carrying materials it shouldn’t have been carrying, as a justification for involvement in WWI because there were Americans on board. That was new, but the groundwork was laid at Gettysburg. The Spanish American War was not the business of Americans in Cuba and certainly not in the Philippines. The chicanery of Teddy Roosevelt in obtaining rights to build the Panama Canal was not the business of Americans…..and the list gets worse in modern times. I never saw this before and now there is Syria and Obama is sitting and watching. Perhaps this is a position to be admired and a judgment to be respected. After all...who really knows who is who over there? Maybe that position is a return to the Constitution. The next post will deal with this a bit more.
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