If Americans Want To Limit Government Overreach At Home, They Must Stop Its Overreach Abroad

It’s no secret that liberty is the focus of the political philosophy of the American founders. This political philosophy was once simply called “liberalism.” Today, it must be called “classical liberalism” to distinguish it from the illiberalism of leftists who advocate for government overreach in every area of life yet are allowed to get away with calling themselves “liberals.” The old liberalism has been co-opted by radical “progressivism,” a movement that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and has since taken over the political left.

The term “liberal” comes from the Latin “liber” meaning “free.” There is not universal agreement about the origin of the original, proper usage of the term liberalism, but many thoughtful students of the subject believe Adam Smith was the inspiration. In a characteristic passage in his book “The Wealth of Nations,” he wrote of “allowing every man to pursue his own interest his own way, upon the liberal plan of equality, liberty, and justice.” No one has stated it better.

The founders’ liberalism is about American citizens living in liberty, pursuing their own interests their own way, unmolested by government. But the American founders had a policy of limited involvement in the affairs of other nations too. For the most part, America minded its own business and left other people to mind theirs. That policy was followed with scarcely a misstep by America’s leaders from the time of the founders through the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. It succeeded spectacularly, and America rose among nations.  

The election of Woodrow Wilson in 1912 bought an end to that policy and to the era of America’s peace among nations. America’s new “progressive” elite swiftly imposed a new foreign policy that rejected the principles that had worked so well — and plunged America into 11 disastrous decades of international discord.  

This story is brilliantly told in Angelo Codevilla’s splendid book published this year, “America’s Rise and Fall Among Nations: Lessons in Statecraft from John Quincy Adams.” Codevilla begins with these words: “This book contrasts the successful foreign relations under presidents from George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt with the disarray resulting from Progressive management ever since.”  

Although it was practiced by America’s leaders throughout her long era of peace with other nations, America’s original foreign policy was most clearly articulated by John Quincy Adams. Codevilla presents Adams’ view with simple clarity:

…just as others’ business, others’ quarrels, and others’ objectives are rightfully and inescapably their own, America is the sole, sovereign judge of its own business, of what our own safety and welfare require. This, Adams argued, is international law as well as common sense.

The focus of the classical liberalism of the American founders is the liberty of the American citizen, but classical liberalism also defined the proper conduct for America among other nations. In addition, it gave the founders a clear understanding of the purpose of the American military. Minding our own business among nations and having military strength sufficient to prevent other nations from meddling in our business are the

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