On The Formation And Development Of American Autonomy Tradition

With the help of a constitution, people with different cultural backgrounds from different continents have created the American way of life. The colonial, national, and democratic experiences of America demonstrated that the dream of self government could come true by political wits and with unyielding efforts. What inspires people in exploring a Utopian experiment like this is the American self-government tradition, which can be briefly defined by the system of self-government established according to the Constitution of the United States and the mores nourished by habitual local self-government. The tradition has been challenged, enriched and developed by a series of social crises from the colonial period to the progressive era, including the draft of the Constitution, the social and territorial expansion from the east coast to the west coast, and the transition from an agrarian to an industrial society.This dissertation attempts to explore the nature and social conditions of the American self-government tradition by examining the origin and development of the tradition from the colonial period to the progressive era. The argument is based on the analysis of the society’s mechanism of self-correction in its rapid development despite the social crises, ranging from the political crisis in the Confederation period to the challenges of urbanization and modernization. It is argued that the American self-government tradition is an American innovation out of British tradition and the colonial reality to meet American needs. Self government is based on individual rights and the practice of self government is the practice of democracy, which reflects not only human nature but also human rationality and hope for social development. The social conditions of self government include the combination of and interaction between the individual self-determination and the collective self-government. The soul of self government lies in the rule of law. Self government not only served as the prelude to the American society but also has worked as the mode of government in the modernization of the country.The dissertation is composed of five chapters:Chapter One traces the origins of the self-government tradition; Chapter Two analyses how America, at the beginning of its founding, broke the shackles of the Confederation system, framed the Constitution and established the principles and procedures of self government; Chapter Three examines how the belief in the rule of law promoted the expansion and unification of the nation by focusing on the handling of the challenges of the social and territorial expansion in the Westward Movement; Chapter Four examines how the self-government tradition has been inherited and developed by the American people in their active participation in the social, economic and political reforms by focusing on the handling of the challenges of urbanization and industrialization; Chapter Five examines the soul that invigorates the self-government tradition by focusing on the analysis of the religious spirit, the spirit of the rule of law and the public spirit. It is concluded that this tradition or "the habits of the heart" can explain the rise of the nation as a super power, the sustained development of the society as well as the paradox in the national experience.