Associational Republicanism: Antifederalism in Context, 1790 - 1830
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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATIONAL REPUBLICANISM: ANTIFEDERALISM IN CONTEXT, 1790 - 1830 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of History in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts in History BY ASHLEY JORDAN LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 2018 Table of Contents Title…………………………………………………………………………………………….......i Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………..I-II Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………III Timeline………………………………………………………………………………………….IV Associationalism Diagram……………………...………………………………………………...V Preface……………………………………………………...........................................................VI Chapter I – Historiography of Antifederalism…………………………………………………….7 1800 – 1828: “Forgotten Founders”……………………………………………………………..10 1828 – 1860: Antebellum Application…………………………………………………………...16 1830 – 1850s: The Elliot Debates Promote Discovery…………………………………………..19 1860 – 1910: “Re-Forgotten”…………………………………………………………………….25 1910 – 1940s: The Progressive School…………………………………………………………..27 1950s – 1990s: “Men of Little Faith” – A Consensus View……………………………………..30 1990 – Present: Post-Structuralism and the Original Intent of the “True Founders”……………35 Chapter II – Antifederal Associational Republicanism………………………………………….42 The Impartial Examiner………………………………………………………………………….46 Henry as Oracle and Prophet…………………………………………………………………….51 Apostate………………………………………………………………………………………….57 1 Richard Henry Lee……………………………………………………………………………….63 George Mason……………………………………………………………………………………71 Verdict of the Ratifying Convention……………………………………………………………..80 Chapter III – Antifederal Inheritors: The Old Republicans………….…………………………..89 Figures of Transition……………………………………………………………………………..90 Abel Upshur……………………………………………………………………………………...99 John Randolph of Roanoke……………………………………………………………………..107 Lyceum…………………………………………………………………………………………119 Chapter IV – Antifederal Associationalism in Global Context: European Republicanism…….124 The Marquis de Lafayette: “Disciple of the American School”………………………………..128 Thaddeus Kosciuszko: “Purest Son of Liberty”………………………………………………..137 Associationalism………………………………………………………………………………..144 Burke……………………………………………………………………………………………155 Two Models of Individualism: Destructive Liberty……………………………………………158 Two Models of Individualism: Associational Individualism…………………………………...162 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...166 Bibliography…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….……...168 2 Acknowledgements As nothing exists in isolation, I would like to extend my gratitude to the numerous entities that have contributed to my historical and personal foundation as well as the development of this thesis. First, I desire to express heartfelt gratitude to the professors of Liberty University’s History Department who have assisted my academic development and search for truth. Secondly, defining the tremendous support Dr. Carey Roberts has provided as director, advisor, and editor cannot be overstated. Roberts’ patience, encouragement, enthusiasm, and years of mentorship has led me to discover and reflect more deeply upon republican conceptions of liberty. I have him to thank for first arranging my acquaintance with oft-forgotten 19th century gentlemen, such as John Randolph of Roanoke, whose philosophical mooring and connection to the Antifederalists and those in Europe ignited my desire to further explore their conjoined heritage. Roberts’ guidance and intellectual association, like the intention of this thesis, has connected republican themes and influential figures of the early American republic into a beautiful constellation of clarity and relevance that I hope this project manages to convey. Furthermore, I would like to honor my father for his selflessness and unwavering belief in my vision and pursuits. Additionally, Patrick Henry’s Red Hill Memorial Foundation generously provided the opportunity for me to gain invaluable insight and experience as a curator in addition to enabling access and use of primary Antifederalist sources within their private collection that significantly assisted in conducting research. Lastly, I humbly acknowledge the Antifederalists, Republicans, and their European counterparts for the inspiration, profound joy, and sense of purpose they have bestowed to me through their example and sacrifice in the cause of liberty. 3 Timeline Important Events and Publications The American Revolution………………………………………………………..……1775 – 1783 The Articles of Confederation…..……………..……………March 1, 1781 – September 17, 1788 Constitutional Convention…………………………………………………………….1787 – 1789 Constitution Ratified……………………………………………...New Hampshire, June 21, 1788 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen……………………………..August 26, 1789 The French Revolution……………………………………………...…..…………….1789 – 1799 Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France…………..………………………..1790 Polish Constitution……………………………………………………………………May 3, 1791 Bill of Rights Ratified.………………………………………………………...December 15, 1791 Kościuszko Uprising..................................................................................................................1794 The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions………………………………………………………1798 The Napoleonic Era……………………………………….……………..……………1799 – 1815 The Virginia Report of 1800………….……………………………………………January 7, 1800 Thomas Jefferson’s Administration…………….……………………………………..1801 – 1809 French Constitution - Charter of 1814………………………………………..……………….1814 Bourbon Restoration………………………………………………………………......1814 – 1830 Jonathan Elliot's Debates…………………………………….…………………………..……1827 Charles A. Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution…………………………1913 Cecelia M. Kenyon’s “Men of Little Faith”…………………………………………………..1955 Merrill Jensen’s The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution…………..1976 Herbert Storing's The Complete Anti-Federalist………………...……………………………1981 M.E. Bradford’s Original Intentions………………………………………………………….1993 Saul Cornell’s The Other Founders…………………………………………………………...1999 Melvin Yazawa’s Contested Conventions…………………………………………………….2016 4 Associationalism Diagram Antifederalists Associationalism European Old Republicans Republicans 1 1 Ashley Jordan, Associational Diagram. Illustration within Presentation, Thesis Defense. Lynchburg, Virginia: Liberty University, 2018. 5 Preface There exists an ongoing discussion regarding the rights of individuals and that of the state. While individual liberty must be fiercely protected to prevent tyranny, individualism without limit is on par with the oppression wielded by despotism. As the old adage claims, “everything best in moderation,” so too must the individual exercise freedom in a balanced manner. Classical Liberalism, together with Associational Republicanism, presents a route in which this can be accomplished. As an analogy, each individual is comparative to the stars cast in the heavens. While independently radiant, when conjoined in constellation, the multitude shines more starkly against the night. In the same course, the fellowship fostered by an association of individuals committed to one another shines all the brighter. Anchored in the achievements of the 18th century, Classical Liberalism ushered in a school of thought which inferred that civil liberties were protected under a system of natural law, upheld by public and private institutions, and were strengthened by the free marketplace of ideas, the unhindered realm of economics, and through the belief that the common interest of all members of society would assure individual rights.2 The discovery of republicanism as the “reigning social theory of eighteenth-century America” has been increasingly utilized by historians to examine the Constitutional debates and the factional divisions of the Antebellum era while also denoting the “ornate rhetoric of classical political theory” that shaped 18th and 19th century political discourse.3 Other terminology linked to Associational Republicanism appears in the form of Classical Liberalism, Classical republicanism, strict constitutionalism, Austrian economics, 2 Richard Hudelson, “Classical Liberalism” in Modern Political Philosophy. New York, New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, (1999): 37-38. 3 Joyce Appleby, Liberalism and Republicanism in the Historical Imagination. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, (1992): 277-278. 6 Jeffersonian democracy, and a variation of libertarian models.4 Associational Republicanism explores the continuation of the 18th century comprehension of the individual's role in society and how voluntary cooperation would maintain the republic. Individualism, limited and functioning through voluntary collective contributions, largely embodies the Founders’ conception of liberty and exhibits tenets of modern-day conservative and libertarian political theories. The tradition of the individual operating in a self-moderating society is not a new phenomenon brought on purely by Enlightenment thought. Rather, the principles of limited government and representative republicanism espoused by the Antifederalists that were passed on to the second generation of republicans who rose up in the 19th century to carry on their mission, shares deep bonds rooted in the forums of ancient Greece and Rome, Western Christendom, and the constitutional republican framework of medieval Europe. In these trajectories march the plight of the individual against the encroaching development of invasive nation-states. However, the individual is not alone. Together, through associating with other defenders of liberty, can the rights of all be ensured. Chapter 1 – Historiography