Reconsidering American Political Thought Analysis Essay Example

In Saladin Ambar's "Reconsidering American Political Thought," the traditional ideas and history of the United States are constantly being contested and reevaluated. With each chapter of the book representing a different era of American history, Ambar examines each period's religious, social, and political policies and ideologies. A period worth noting is Thomas Jefferson's "Empire of Liberty." Both positive outcomes marked this era for some and adverse actions for others, leading people to question the defining feature of that period. According to Ambar, the defining feature of Jefferson's "Empire of Liberty" was that the expansion of political rights for white men would not have been possible without furthering gender and racial hierarchies in American society during that time. 

To demonstrate Ambar's claim, it is necessary to start from the beginning of the 1800s. The Louisiana Purchase and the passing of the Missouri Compromise and more acts later in the 1800s expanded slavery and ensured that it would continue for years to come. The extension of American power across the continental United States was based on individual rights for some but not all. Women, African Americans, and Native Americans were excluded from the majority of these expansions of individual rights to ensure that the white men maintained their position at the top of the social hierarchy with political authority. These social hierarchies played a role in addressing the ongoing challenge of order and authority in democratic politics. As the nation expanded westward, these hierarchies were needed to establish order as the question of slavery, and even personhood was continuously debated. Ambar writes that "the expansion of democratic politics, so esteemed by historians of the 'Age of Jackson' was also, ironically enough, contingent upon the denial of political rights" what were considered inferior groups such as women, African Americans, and Native American (Ambar, Reconsidering American Political Thought, p. 55). Since the government's authority comes from the people, society must define who becomes included in the society. For white males to maintain their authority, power needed to be denied from other groups. 

The significant emphasis on the inferior status of African Americans at the time led to an increase in violence between African Americans and white people. This violence would further white men to perpetuate racism in the social hierarchy and defend slavery. Ambar includes a quote by John C. Calhoun that details how Calhoun believed slavery was "a positive good" to demonstrate a common belief at the time that slavery was so intertwined with the nation that to destroy it would lead to the destruction of the entire nation (Calhoun, 357, 2017). Ambar details how Jefferson also held this view when he included the quote that the nation had to choose between "justice or [white] self-preservation "(Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Holmes, April 22, 1820). This quote proves that many believed that for white men to maintain order and authority in America, African Americans needed to remain enslaved and confined to their place in the social hierarchy. 

When President Andrew Jackson took over, the disparity between African Americans and white people became more apparent. President Jackson worked to increase political rights solely for white men. There was a surge in white political rights and forced migration of Native Americans and slaves due to eliminating land requirements for voting. Women would also be excluded from the increase in political rights, causing an outcry for gender equality that would encourage men to teach their children republican ideals in the home. African Americans and women, especially white women, began to call for full equality of races and genders from the social hierarchies.