The Claremont Institute recently launched an interesting project that aims to explore the unique American way of life. Against the backdrop of this growing division, is there a unique American way of life and if so what values or rights could be considered as integral parts of this life?
The American way of life has changed in many ways over our long history, as Americans have become more numerous, diverse, prosperous, urban, and mobile. Three characteristics that have endured from the founding are
a live-and-let-live attitude, a belief in opportunity and initiative, and a strong sense of patriotism.
The first two embody our ideals of liberty and equality; the third is the spirit that holds everything together.
First, most of us are attached to ways of living that are characteristic of our localities, ethnic heritages, family traditions, religions, vocations, and so on—but recognize, and appreciate, that many of our countrymen are attached to other distinctive, worthy ways and traditions.
Live-and-let-live has fortified rather than divided our nation.
We have been, for example, a notably religious people without tearing ourselves apart over matters of doctrine and revelation—and religious movements have made many illustrious contributions to our national development.
Second, we are united by an ethic of equal opportunity for all. This is not an abstract creed but rather a set of living practices. It depends on robust private initiative and public commitments—to the rule of law, limited government, and wide freedoms of inquiry, belief, and speech and of association and industry.
Third, our patriotism is strong because it is based on gratitude—for our stupendous natural resources and geography, for our long-lived Constitution and political system that have gotten us through many hard challenges, for the deeds of our ancestors, for the living practices of liberty and equality. This American patriotism is not aggressive and does not have a chip on its shoulder; it is attached to our national inheritance rather than to the state; it is unifying rather than dividing.
What caused, in your view, the departure from these values?