On Foreign Policy, Our Founders vs. Ron Paul

It has been asserted that Ron Paul's foreign policy is consistent with that of our Founders. Let me list some of the actual foreign policies of the early American government so that supporters of Paul can reconsider whether he is actually consistent with them.

• As an ambassador overseas, John Adams undermined foreign governments by giving aid to revolutionaries; further, he sought to promote American constitutional republicanism as superior to the monarchies of Europe and democratic proposals of French intellectuals.

• As Minister to France, both Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe sought to increase American trade with France in part to weaken Britain. Jefferson offered detailed reforms to French laws that were necessary to rollback intrusive economic regulation.

• American governments consistently made it a matter of policy to obstruct sovereign native tribes' relations with European powers; manifestations of this policy include: the War of 1812, Jackson's invasion of Spanish Florida during the Monroe Administration, and a policy of pushing Indians west of the Mississippi that began in the Washington Administration.

• A key policy plank of the Democratic - Republican Party before 1801 was a strong alliance with and preference for post-revolutionary France as part of a policy to expand republican governments in the world.

• As President, Jefferson secured the purchase of Louisiana by advising the French that their failure to transfer New Orleans and navigation of the Mississippi to the Americans would result in war.

• During the Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe Administrations, Spain was under threat of war with America over Spanish West Florida; during the Napoleonic wars, an American invasion of Spanish Florida was considered so as to prevent it from falling into British hands. As President, Monroe invaded Florida twice to suppress piracy and the Seminoles.

• During the Jefferson Administration, the United States engaged in regime change in Tripoli.

• The Monroe Doctrine opposed further colonization by Europeans in the Americas.

• Madison and Monroe both championed colonization in Liberia by freed American slaves.

• During the Jefferson and Madison Administrations, American trade with Britain and France was subject to a series of federal restrictions to prevent such commerce. The stated object of these policies was to compel Britain and France to change their own policies.

I do not find such early American foreign policies to be consistent with an evaluation of a non-interventionist American government that "didn't pretend to know all the answers" while staying out of other people's business.

For a study of early American foreign policy, I recommend the following definitive biographers: Douglas Southall Freeman on Washington, C. Bradley Thompson on John Adams, Dumas Malone on Jefferson, Ralph Ketcham on Madison, and Harry Ammon on Monroe. I am looking forward to reading Samuel Flagg Bemis' volume _John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy_; while it is out of print, it can be found and I have it.

On Jefferson in particular, Malone's account of his time as Minister to France, Secretary of State, and President demonstrates that Jefferson established principles for American foreign policy that have been consistent to the present.

Foreign policy is just another area in which Ron Paul is anti-Jeffersonian.

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[luciferangelica]

those men of whom u speak also espoused the value of freedom while keeping slaves. is paul less of a jeffersonian that he doesnt own people? clearly jefferson opposed hamiltons central bank, and jackson put an end to it. u seem to be saying that ron paul is unpatriotic because we wont continue to sacrifice our youth and untold resources for shell, bp, and haliburton?

[bIGbUTtHole420]

Well, while i think what you say is interesting id have to suggest that Ron Paul is not running on the basis of Jeffersonian or early American foreign policy. He points to the founding fathers ideas on liberty and limited government. He also makes it clear his foreign policy revolves around a more modern concept of blow back.

Just because someone you respect did it, doesn't mean you should blindly follow their lead or idealize their mistakes. You sound well educated, Ever read Liberty Defined?

[Baroque1750]

Someone make a response to this video!

[WICD1969]

@jwoodswce I listened and I am honest. My second comment was in direct response to your comment, not the video. In my first comment I only wanted to point out that both Paul and our Founders did not want to reshape the world (at least no more than our immediate area as far as the Founders were concerned). I’m not a libertarian. I am a paleoconservative similar to Pat Buchanan. Paul is closest to me currently and an honest man.

[Sparkygravity]

Jim, what would you suggest should be the focus of American foreign policy?

[jwoodswce]

@0bamasmama

Try restating that clearly in the afternoon after the weed has worn off.

My current preference for the next President is Tom Ridge based upon his experience. In 2008, I voted for Don Rumsfeld as I stated in a vid at that time.

[0bamasmama]

@jwoodswce what premise are you ever so talking about the wars...and you act like your nose is real up high, who would you like for president out of the candidates running and if not one of them who would you like to run

[jwoodswce]

@0bamasmama

Exactly what I am talking about. You have zero evidence from reality that I "want to maintain these wars"; yet, you make that conclusion based upon unexamined premises that are unrelated to facts.

Personally, if I was so absolutely wrong as you are on this point, then I would check my premises as a person with integrity would do. Do you have any integrity? In the face of your error, will you check your premises against reality?

[0bamasmama]

@jwoodswce ..............you can say all you want, you want to maintain these wars and for that you should get your head checked

[jwoodswce]

@0bamasmama

Fascinating...you are so anti-conceptual and concrete-bound that you don't understand what they did to you. Put down your blunt youngun and let me give you a glimpse.

The abuse of public schools is not in the concretes, but in the methodology. You suffer from Rationalism as you were conditioned for by your teachers. Instead of independent thought based from inducing facts from reality, you base your thinking on revealed premises (eg from Alex Jones) disconnected from reality.