Restoration of the Republic : The Jeffersonian Ideal in 21st-Century America

Rarely does scholarship anticipate the most dramatic events of the moment. In this timely work Gary Hart does just that, arguing for the restoration of republican virtues and for homeland security as an important first step. The American democratic republic has from its founding been a paradoxical success. Simultaneously attached to state and national power, citizens' rights and citizens' duties, American democracy has uniquely turned its reliance on consent from the governed into a powerful governing of the consenting. In a remarkable political feat, America's founders combined mixed government, the language of popular sovereignty and a self-conscious emphasis on checks and balances to forge a republic that has weathered the test of time. The complex realities of the twenty-first century, however, have fundamentally challenged the underpinnings of this enduring American experiment, repeatedly exposing the tensions at the heart of America's mixed system of government. What then is the nature of an American republic in an age of democracy? How can the democratic values of social justice and equality be balanced with republican values of civic duty and popular sovereignty? Bringing to light a long-neglected aspect of Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy—the ward republic—Gary Hart here offers a wholly original blueprint for republican restoration in which every citizen can participate democratically in the governing of his or her own life. Of crucial relevance for contemporary society, including its startlingly prescient plan for homeland security, Restoration of the Republic provides original insights into issues of national urgency as well as the timeless questions that bedevil the American democratic experiment. Publishers Weekly Arguments between right and left over individual freedom, states' rights and big government have been a staple of American politics. In this innovative reassessment of Thomas Jefferson's political theories, former senator and presidential candidate Hart attempts to secure a middle road that would promote the political participation of individual citizens while fostering a more effective federal structure. By explicating Jefferson's idea of the elementary, or ward, republic essentially a town meeting model as the appropriate forum for direct citizen engagement in public [life], Hart explores ways to adapt this paradigm. Urban and suburban neighborhoods could consolidate such functions as schools, police and health services; by becoming local republics, they would rationalize fragmented municipal governments. But while his concern with the individual's role in governance is pressing he cites a recent survey showing that 68% of Americans ages 18 to 34 felt disconnected from government many of his solutions are theoretical rather than immediately practical (betraying this book's origins as Hart's doctoral dissertation at Oxford) his vision of local control of schools, for example, disregards the important role the federal government plays in funding and regulation. While this is a valiant attempt to mine the past in order to plan the future, it may strike many as existing too much in an ivory tower rather than in the vibrant local republic Hart so admires. (Aug.) Forecast: Oxford is linking this book to the issue of homeland security by emphasizing Hart's recent stint as cochair of the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century, but some reviewers and readers may not see the connection. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands." In a remarkable political feat, America's founders combined federalism and representation, the language of popular sovereignty, and a reliance on checks and balances to forge a unique form of government that has withstood the test of time. But the question remains: Is America still an authentic republic? The complex realities of the twenty-first century now fundamentally challenge the underpinnings of this American experiment, increasingly exposing the tensions at the heart of America's system of government. How can the democratic values of rights and opportunities best be preserved while restoring the ancient republican values of civic duty and popular sovereignty?Bringing to light a long-neglected aspect of Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy -- the "ward republic" -- Gary Hart offers a wholly original blueprint for a republican restoration, a restoration in which all citizens can participate democratically in the governing of their own communities. Entrusted with greater citizen responsibility for public schools, hospitals, social welfare, public transportation, and public safety, local "republics" or townships were intended to serve as the grassroots foundation of American democracy in Jefferson's original plan. What, Hart asks, would government look like if we applied Jefferson's model to contemporary America?Of particular note is Hart's startlingly prescient plan for homeland security -- proposed before September 11th, 2001 -- whereby citizen-soldiers in the form of the National Guard would be specially trained and equipped to protect the community against outside threats, all within the constitutional framework established by our nation's founders. A blend of historical analysis, original political thought, and unabashed enthusiasm for the promise -- increasingly threatened, Hart believes -- of America, Restoration of the Republic is a thoroughly reasoned manifesto by a lifelong student of the republic and practitioner of American democracy. Contents......Page 12 Introduction: "The Republic for which It Stands,"......Page 16 1 New Realities in Twenty-first-Century America: Economics, Politics, and Society......Page 38 Economic Globalization, the Evolving Nation-State, and the Decline of Ideology......Page 39 The Scope of Twenty-first-Century Change in Historic Perspective......Page 53 Original Objections to Small Republics......Page 59 Responses to Original Objections......Page 62 Original Objections to Small Republics in the Light of Twenty-first-Century Realities......Page 71 Restatement of the Elements of Authentic Republicanism......Page 74 2 Is America Still a Republic? Sovereignty, Corruption, Civic Virtue, and Liberty......Page 76 Jeffersonian Republicanism......Page 94 Jefferson's Republican Ideal in the Context of the Constitutional Debate......Page 130 Slavery and the Jeffersonian Republic......Page 137 The Mature Jefferson and the Radical Republic......Page 141 The Role of the Ward Republic in the Life of the Citizen......Page 145 4 The Jeffersonian Republic in the Current Age......Page 176 The Republican Polis in Twenty-first-Century America......Page 185 Public Education in the Authentic Republic......Page 188 Social Welfare and Economic Justice in the Authentic Republic......Page 207 Homeland Security and the Militia in the Authentic Republic......Page 217 Education, Welfare, Homeland Defense, and the Republican Spirit......Page 231 Conclusion......Page 240 Notes......Page 252 Selected Bibliography......Page 282 A......Page 288 C......Page 289 D......Page 291 E......Page 292 F......Page 293 H......Page 294 I......Page 295 L......Page 296 M......Page 297 N......Page 298 P......Page 299 R......Page 300 S......Page 302 T......Page 303 W......Page 304 Y......Page 305 Contents 12 Introduction: "The Republic for which It Stands," 16 1 New Realities in Twenty-first-Century America: Economics, Politics, and Society 38 Economic Globalization, the Evolving Nation-State, and the Decline of Ideology 39 The Scope of Twenty-first-Century Change in Historic Perspective 53 Original Objections to Small Republics 59 Responses to Original Objections 62 Original Objections to Small Republics in the Light of Twenty-first-Century Realities 71 Restatement of the Elements of Authentic Republicanism 74 2 Is America Still a Republic? Sovereignty, Corruption, Civic Virtue, and Liberty 76 3 Jeffersonian Republicanism and the Restoration of the Republic 94 Jeffersonian Republicanism 94 Jefferson's Republican Ideal in the Context of the Constitutional Debate 130 Slavery and the Jeffersonian Republic 137 The Mature Jefferson and the Radical Republic 141 The Role of the Ward Republic in the Life of the Citizen 145 4 The Jeffersonian Republic in the Current Age 176 The Republican Polis in Twenty-first-Century America 185 Public Education in the Authentic Republic 188 Social Welfare and Economic Justice in the Authentic Republic 207 Homeland Security and the Militia in the Authentic Republic 217 Education, Welfare, Homeland Defense, and the Republican Spirit 231 Conclusion 240 Notes 252 Selected Bibliography 282 Index 288 A 288 B 289 C 289 D 291 E 292 F 293 G 294 H 294 I 295 J 296 K 296 L 296 M 297 N 298 O 299 P 299 R 300 S 302 T 303 U 304 V 304 W 304 X 305 Y 305 Hart revisits arguments first offered in The Patriot (1996) and The Minuteman (1998) for increasing the involvement of the National Guard (the militia of the Constitution) in matters of national security, an argument given new timeliness in the aftermath of September 11. He also offers a consideration of Thomas Jefferson's idea that the growing union should develop "ward republics" by which power could be devolved and local decision-making encouraged. Arguing that the nation-state is increasingly ineffectual in the age of transnational economies and roving bands of terrorists, a time "characterized by the erosion of national authority and the weakening of national sovereignty," Hart makes a strong case for the republican virtue of allowing local people to make some of the day-by-day decisions that affect their lives Bringing to light a long-neglected aspect of Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy - the ""ward republic""--Gary Hart here offers a blueprint for republican restoration in which every US citizen can participate democratically in the governing of his or her own life