The birth of civic virtue
[On Power]
In previous posts, I have analyzed the republic and emphasized its essential reliance on civic virtue, or preference for the common good above all else, as the cornerstone of its health. But where does civic virtue originate, and what sustains it? If you have taken a course of American government, civics, or history, you might already know the answer. In fact, most of us probably rolled our eyes over the answer given by Thomas Jefferson. A country of farmers? No thanks. To our republic's detriment, few actually dissect this idea instead of blindly dismissing it. More importantly, how can this idea be translated into our modern industrial society?
The independent countryside
It's not a secret. Republican thinkers and theorists have been ringing the bell upon deaf ears for over two millennia. What did some of them have to say?
Aristotle (Politics, Book VI, Part IV, c. 350 B.C.)
"For the best material of democracy is an agricultural population; there is no difficulty in forming a democracy where the mass of the people live by agriculture or tending of cattle. Being poor, they have no leisure, and therefore do not often attend the assembly, and not having the necessaries of life they are always at work, and do not covet the property of others. Indeed, they find their employment pleasanter than the cares of government or office where no great gains can be made out of them, for the many are more desirous of gain than of honor."
Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder (De Agri Cultura, Preface, c. 150 B.C.)
"it is from the tillers of the soil that spring the best citizens, the staunchest soldiers; and theirs are the enduring rewards which are most grateful and least envied. Such as devote themselves to that pursuit are least of all men given to evil counsels."
Marcus Tulius Cicero (De Officiis, Book I—Moral Goodness, 44 B.C.)
"But of all the occupations by which gain is secured, none is better than agriculture, none more profitable, none more delightful, none more becoming to a freeman. But since I have discussed this quite fully in my Cato Major (Cicero's work on Cato the Elder), you will find there the material that applies to this point."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Projet de Constitution pour la Corse, 1768)
"love of the polity can be cultivated in the fields."
Thomas Jefferson (Letter to John Jay, 1785)
"Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."
John Taylor of Caroline (Arator, Number IV, 1814)
"The yeomanry of the forest are best calculated to preserve the first [real independence] and the yeomanry of the loom (the industrialists) are best calculated to feed the second [imaginary independence]."
Aristotle took a more pessimistic view of democracy and claimed the farmer would be too busy and distant to actually participate often (he regarded this as a stabilizing feature, rather than a defect). Cato the Elder and Cicero believed that the honest work provided by the plow made citizens stronger and nobler. American and English republicans believed that the independence provided by a farm gave the yeoman a more incorruptible connection to his land and his country.
Following the Punic Wars in Rome, which eviscerated farmland across the Italian peninsula, wealthy war speculators were repaid in this land as the small farmers were forced into the city. In my view, it was at this moment that the Roman Republic truly began its agonizing decay. The politically connected minority built large agricultural, slave-driven estates while the poor minority had no choice but to seek reliance on the Roman state. Before long, everyone was dependent on the state, breeding the corruption which swallowed Roman democracy. By the time of the Late Republic, Cato the Younger stood no chance against the incessant bribes since the voters were reliant on them for income!
The American republic under the Constitution was born a confused mess. Instead of agreeing to split at the onset, northern merchants and southern planters wrestled over what type of single government this would be. Ironically enough, there was little real say from the actual yeoman farmers. Indeed, the independent farmers voted overwhelmingly for the Jeffersonians. However, they were completely ineffective at thwarting Hamilton's plans and the corruption it incentivized. Through tariff policy (among others), the northern merchants were unduly rewarded at the expense of the yeoman, resulting in the relative decline of independent farming by population and influence. Steadily, states abolished property requirements. Then, the Industrial Revolution further reduced the relative number of yeomen. By the end of the New Deal, FDR had killed the independence of the remaining farmers through agricultural welfare.
To summarize, the independent farmer embodies the best qualities of a citizen: hard work, independence, and a binding to their land (and, by extension, their country).
The birth of virtue in an industrial society
The answer to our problems is not to "de-industrialize", as much as Ted Kaczynski would have liked to see that. Rather, alternative methods should be found to mimic the qualities of an agrarian republic.
- Hard work
I will advocate for the bare minimum. Any non-government work should be good enough to be a voting citizen. If you refuse to contribute, you probably do not care about the common good of the republic. - Independence
It is impossible to be truly independent in an industrial society like ours. Public infrastructure and private services are essential to daily life. Again, let us consider the bare minimum. If you take government welfare or are employed by the government, you have a conflict of interest. A good citizen should be directly independent of the state. - Bound to their country
If things go wrong, where will you go? If you own land here, if your ancestors are buried here, or if you do not have multi-citizenship, then you are likely bound to this country.
Let us stack up these requirements against the status-quo. Today, an unemployed, welfare-receiving, first-generation, landless immigrant with dual citizenship may vote in the United States.
A republic that systemizes against virtue should not expect virtuous outcomes. Unfortunately, the system is functioning as designed.
