American Statesmanship

Description

This book, much needed in our public discourse, examines some of the most significant political leaders in American history.

With an eye on the elusive qualities of political greatness, this anthology considers the principles and practices of diverse political leaders who influenced the founding and development of the American experiment in self-government. Providing both breadth and depth, this work is a virtual “who’s who” from the founding to modern times. From George Washington to Frederick Douglass and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to FDR and Ronald Reagan, the book’s twenty-six chapters are thematically organized to include a brief biography of each subject, his or her historical context, and the core principles and policies that led to political success or failure. A final chapter considers the rhetorical legacy of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Nearly all readers agree that statesmanship makes a crucial difference in the life of a nation and its example is sorely needed in America today. These concise portraits will appeal to experts as well as history buffs. The volume is ideal for leadership and political science classroom use in conjunction with primary sources.

Contributors: Kenneth L. Deutsch, Gary L. Gregg II, David Tucker, Sean D. Sutton, Bruce P. Frohnen, Stephanie P. Newbold, Phillip G. Henderson, Michael P. Federici, Troy L. Kickler, Johnathan O’Neill, H. Lee Cheek, Jr., Carey Roberts, Hans Schmeisser, Joseph R. Fornieri, Peter C. Myers, Emily Krichbaum, Natalie Taylor, Jean M. Yarbrough, Christopher Burkett, Will Morrisey, Elizabeth Edwards Spalding, Patrick J. Garrity, Giorgi Areshidze, William J. Atto, David B. Frisk, Mark Blitz, Jeffrey Crouch, and Mark J. Rozell.

We honor greatness in the respective domains of sports, entertainment, art, science, and finance. But what of political greatness? Of what qualities does it consist? Does it require an apprenticeship, a study of the great masters, like the successful practice of other crafts? Our Founders thought so. George Washington went so far as to propose a national university that would train future citizens and leaders alike in the rights and responsibilities of democratic governance. Likewise, in Article XVIII of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, John Adams emphasized the need for a continual return to first principles as a means to revitalize the political faith of the country:

"A frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of the constitution, and a constant adherence to those of piety, justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality, are absolutely necessary to preserve the advantages of liberty and to maintain a free government. The people ought, consequently, to have a particular attention to all those principles, in the choice of their officers and representatives; and they have a right to require of their lawgivers and magistrates an exact and constant observation of them, in the formation and execution of the laws necessary for the good administration of the commonwealth."

This book is an effort to take seriously Adams’ advice in returning to those founding principles and practices that help sustain the American regime. The example of past greatness combined with the power of enduring principle prepares each generation to confront future threats to the inseparable bonds of liberty and Union. The present may be renewed in light of the success and failures of the past.

While the authors and contributors of this volume may differ over who should be included among ranks of a statesperson, they nonetheless all agree that statesmanship makes a crucial difference in the life of a nation and that its example is sorely needed today. The purpose of this volume is to contemplate the nature and legacy of American statesmanship through the speech and deeds of some of its most influential leaders. The reader should be aware that not all the leaders included in the volume have reached the high standard of statesmanship. Some fell short and are included as a cautionary tale. Others might object that reformers like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, and Susan B. Anthony should not be included in the volume since they pressured government from outside the citadels of power rather than ruling directly through an official position in government. While there are differences between reform leadership and statesmanship, a too restrictive definition of the latter would deprive us of studying the important influence these particular reform leaders had on the American politics and their dynamic interaction with elected officials. In what follows, we hope readers will ponder the qualities or virtues of statesmanship as displayed fully or even partially in the leaders in this volume.

As the great 20th century political philosopher, Leo Strauss, put it, we constantly need to be reminded of what constitutes political greatness, human greatness, and the peaks of human excellence. In doing so, we must remind ourselves concerning statesmanship “never to mistake mediocrity, however brilliant, for true greatness.” We must, Strauss claims, make every effort to describe and understand “these rare peaks of political life, which put ordinary and prosaic forms of leadership in their proper perspective.” True political greatness, statesmanship, does not make us despise the run-of-the-mill or transactional leaders who merely provide services to their constituents, but it does allow us to see their limits. There is a tendency, in our democratic life to homogenize reality—to ignore those qualitative distinctions that constitute political reality. The study of political greatness—statesmanship—is a good antidote to this leveling tendency of a hyper-democratic age. All forms of leadership are not the same. We must be able to make thoughtful distinctions between the ambition of the noble statesman such as Lincoln, who aimed to be worthy of the esteem of his fellow citizens, the imperial ambition of Napoleon that gradually became indistinguishable from cold despotism, and the crude ambition of mediocre or selfish politicians who crave political success pursuing custodial management or utopian dreams. As a self-governing nation, we especially must make moral distinctions and judgments about leadership, thereby recognizing political greatness whenever it occurs and fostering its development wherever possible.

Introduction, Kenneth L. Deutsch
1. George Washington, Gary L. Gregg II
2. Benjamin Franklin , David Tucker
3. Publius, Sean D. Sutton
4. John Adams, Bruce P. Frohnen
5. Thomas Jefferson, Stephanie P. Newbold
6. John Marshall, Phillip G. Henderson
7. Alexander Hamilton, Michael P. Federici
8. Andrew Jackson, Troy L. Kickler
9. Daniel Webster, Johnathan O’Neill
10. John Calhoun, H. Lee Cheek
11. Henry Clay, Hans Schmeisser
12. Abraham Lincoln, Joseph R. Fornieri
13. Frederick Douglass, Peter C. Meyers
14. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Emily Krichbaum
15. Susan B. Anthony, Natalie Taylor
16. Theodore Roosevelt, Jean M. Yarbrough
17. Woodrow Wilson, Christopher Burkett
18. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Will Morrisey
19. Harry S. Truman, Elizabeth Spalding
20. Dwight David Eisenhower, Phillip G. Henderson
21. John F. Kennedy, Patrick J. Garrity
22. Martin Luther King, Giorgi Areshidze
23. Lyndon B. Johnson, William J. Atto
24. Richard Nixon, David Frisk
25. Ronald Reagan, Mark Blitz
26. Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, Jeff Crouch, Mark J. Rozell

Sujets

• American Government
• Political Science
• Political
• HISTORY
• Susan B Anthony
• Lyndon B Johnson
• John F Kennedy
• George H W Bush
• Franklin D Roosevelt
• Publius
• Federal government of the United States
• General officer
• History of the United States
• John Calhoun
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Politics of the United States
• Politics
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Benjamin Franklin
• John Marshall
• General
• United States
• John Caldwell Calhoun
• Frederick Douglass
• Donald Trump
• Barack Obama
• Alexander Hamilton
• John Adams
• Daniel Webster
• Henry Clay
• Elisabeth Cady Stanton
• Andrew Jackson
• Ronald Reagan
• Woodrow Wilson
• Dwight David Eisenhower
• Thomas Jefferson
• Richard Nixon
• Bill Clinton
• George Washington
• Abraham Lincoln
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Martin Luther King
• Harry S. Truman

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9780268201043
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

American Statesmanship
This book is published with the support of the Notre Dame Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government. The Center aims to explore the principles and practices of a free society so that citizens and civic leaders are equipped to secure our Godgiven natural rights and liberties, exercise the responsibilities of self-government, and thereby dutifully pursue the common good. Among its initiatives is a partnership with the University of Notre Dame Press to publish excellent scholarship on the ideas and institutions of constitutional government.
AMERICAN STATESMANSHIP
Principles and Practice of Leadership
EDITED BY
Joseph R. Fornieri, Kenneth L. Deutsch, and Sean D. Sutton
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Copyright © 2021 by the University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
undpress.nd.edu
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States of America
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021947715
ISBN: 978-0-268-20105-0 (Hardback)
ISBN: 978-0-268-20107-4 (WebPDF)
ISBN: 978-0-268-20104-3 (Epub)
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at [e-mail]
“There are meaningful warnings which history gives a threatened or perishing society. Such are, for instance, the decadence of art, or a lack of great statesmen.”
Alexander I. Solzhenitsyn, Harvard Commencement Address, June 8, 1978
To Kenneth L. Deutsch, 1945–2015.
Professor of Political Science at SUNY Geneseo for over forty years who influenced a generation of students through his masterful teaching and scholarship, his demand for excellence, and his profound diagnosis of political health and sickness.
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”
Thomas Aquinas
CONTENTS Acknowledgments Introduction: What Is Statesmanship? K ENNETH L. D EUTSCH 1 The Statesmanship of George Washington G ARY L. G REGG II 2 Benjamin Franklin, Democratic Statesman D AVID T UCKER 3 Publius the Lawgiver: The Statesmanship of The Federalist S EAN D. S UTTON 4 John Adams: Statesmanship and the Limits of Popularity B RUCE P. F ROHNEN 5 Presidential Statesmanship: The Jeffersonian Example S TEPHANIE P. N EWBOLD 6 John Marshall as Constitutional Statesman P HILLIP G. H ENDERSON 7 Alexander Hamilton: Democratic Statesmanship, Spiritedness, and Audacity M ICHAEL P. F EDERICI 8 Andrew Jackson: One Man’s Demagogue, Another Man’s Populist T ROY L. K ICKLER 9 Daniel Webster: The Statesman as Constitutional Conservative J OHNATHAN O’N EILL 10 John Calhoun: Statesmanship and Popular Rule H. L EE C HEEK , J R., AND C AREY R OBERTS 11 Henry Clay the Great Compromiser H ANS S CHMEISSER 12 Lincoln as Philosopher Statesman J OSEPH R. F ORNIERI 13 Frederick Douglass: The Agitator as Statesman P ETER C. M YERS 14 Elizabeth Cady Stanton E MILY K RICHBAUM 15 Susan B. Anthony: The Prophetic Eye Discerns the Woman Politician N ATALIE T AYLOR 16 Theodore Roosevelt: Progressive Crusader J EAN M. Y ARBROUGH 17 Woodrow Wilson and Modern Leadership C HRISTOPHER B URKETT 18 Franklin Delano Roosevelt W ILL M ORRISEY 19 Harry S. Truman: American Statesmanship in World War and Cold War E LIZABETH E DWARDS S PALDING 20 Dwight David Eisenhower’s Leadership P HILLIP G. H ENDERSON 21 John F. Kennedy: The Courage of His Convictions P ATRICK J. G ARRITY 22 The Statesmanship of Martin Luther King, Jr. G IORGI A RESHIDZE 23 Lyndon B. Johnson: The Abuse of Power W ILLIAM J. A TTO 24 Richard Nixon D AVID B. F RISK 25 The Statesmanship of Ronald Reagan M ARK B LITZ 26 Presidential Statesmanship in the New Media Era J EFFREY C ROUCH AND M ARK J. R OZELL List of Contributors Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the following family, friends, and colleagues for their support with this project:
Joe’s wife Pam “earth” Fornieri, his parents Beatrice A. and Joseph P. Fornieri, his brother Peter and sister Kathy Fornieri, his daughters Isabella Alice and Natalie Beatrice Fornieri, his nephews Joseph and Jacob Fornieri, his stepchildren John Joseph and Helena Grace Morgano, and his in-laws Bruce and Jean Anderson.
Sean’s wife Sybil Catherine, the other two Sybils in his life, Sybil Marie and Madeleine Sophie Sybil, and of course Sheilagh. The boys can wait for the next book.
Patrick J. Garrity, nonresident senior fellow with the Miller Center’s Presidential Recordings Program at the University of Virginia, scholar and gentleman, 1955–2021.
Randall (Randy) Strahan, professor of political science at Emory University, friend, blues brother, and southern gentleman, 1955–2014.
A very special thanks to the Bradley Foundation for their continued support.
To Joe’s friends at the Lincoln Forum and in the Lincoln world, Ruth Squillace, Frank J. Williams, Harold Holzer, Hank Ballone, Allen C. Guelzo, Reg Ankrom, Sara Vaughn Gabbard, and Joe Garrera.
James Pontuso, Jean M. Yarbrough, Nadine Strossen, Alan C. Kors, Tim Garman (“Starman”), Kevin “Cat” Catalfamo, Dean Laverne Mc-Quiller Williams and Professor (PF) Joe Williams, Dianne Sehler, Kelly Hanlon, Provost Ellen Granberg, Paul Barnes, Dave Tucker—GAS, B. J. Hoerner, and student assistant Sarah Contant.

Albert J. and Carolie Simone, Kraig Kayser for his continued support of the Center for Statesmanship, Law, and Liberty at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Bob Paquette of the Hamilton Institute.
And a final thanks to Steve Wrinn at the University of Notre Dame Press for his vision, guidance, and professionalism and to Elizabeth Sain for her outstanding copyediting.
INTRODUCTION
What Is Statesmanship?
K ENNETH L. D EUTSCH
W e honor greatness in the respective domains of entertainment, sports, art, science, and finance. But what of political greatness? Of what qualities does it consist? By what standard should it be measured? Does it require an apprenticeship, a disciplined study of the great masters, like the successful practice of other crafts? Our Founders certainly thought so. George Washington went so far as to propose a national university that would train future citizens and leaders alike in the rights and responsibilities of democratic governance. Similarly, in Article XVIII of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, John Adams emphasized the need for a continual return to first principles as a means to revitalize the political faith of the country:
A frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of the constitution, and a constant adherence to those of piety, justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality, are absolutely necessary to preserve the advantages of liberty and to maintain a free government. The people ought, consequently, to have a particular attention to all those principles, in the choice of their officers and representatives; and they have a right to require of their lawgivers and magistrates an exact and constant observation of them, in the formation and execution of the laws necessary for the good administration of the commonwealth.
The title of this volume, American Statesmanship: Principles and Practice of Leadership , is an effort to take seriously Washington’s and Adams’s advice in returning to those founding principles and practices that help sustain the American regime. The example of past greatness combined with the power of enduring principle prepares each generation to confront future threats to the inseparable bonds of liberty and union. Indeed, the present may be renewed in light of the success and failures of the past. While the authors and contributors of this volume may differ over who should be included among the ranks as a statesperson, they nonetheless all agree that statesmanship makes a crucial difference in the life of a nation and that its example is sorely needed today. The purpose of this volume is to contemplate the nature and legacy of American statesmanship through the speech and deeds of some of its most influential leaders. The reader should be aware that not all the leaders included in the volume have reached the high standard of statesmanship. Some fell short and are included as a cautionary tale. Others might object that reformers like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Susan B. Anthony should not be included in the volume since they pressured government from outside the citadels of power rather than ruling directly through an official position in government. While there are differences between reform leadership and statesmanship, most notably in terms of the requirements of official duty, a too-restrictive definition of statesmanship would deprive us of studying the important influence reform leaders have had on American politics, their unique form of public service, and their dynamic interaction with elected officials. In what follows, we hope readers will ponder the qualities or virtues of statesmanship as displayed fully or even partially in the leaders in this volume.
As the great twentieth-century political philosopher Leo Strauss put it, we constantly need to be reminded of what constitutes political greatness, human greatness, and the peaks of human excellence. In doing so, we must remind ourselves concerning statesmanship “never to mistake mediocrity, however brilliant, for true greatness.” We must, Strauss claims, make every effort to describe and understand “these rare peaks of political life, which put ordinary and prosaic forms of leadership in their proper perspective.” True political greatness, statesmanship, does not make us despise the