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To Begin The World Anew
by Bernard Baylin
The Founding Fathers' imagination and thus their ability
It is often said that one gains insight from perspective; that stepping back from something, having that distance, can provide answers and solutions not readily apparent in the midst of things. I have never been a fan of the cliché axiom, but then again, I have never denied one either. Bernard Baylin’s “To Begin the World Anew” makes it all the more difficult to do so.
That American constitutionalism “has become a classic formulation for the world at large of effectiveness and constraint in the humane uses of power” seems to be undeniable. Indeed, shortly after the American Revolution had ended, there would be a keen interest in at least the ideology of America’s newly formed institutions. Baylin is by no means the first to discuss and postulate the influence the American Revolution and its subsequent constitutional presence has had on the rest of the world, but nor does he pretend to be. What Baylin does do is trod deeper, seeking to know why it has had such influence.
Effectively, Baylin starts answering the why with the how, for in understanding the influence of America’s successful revolution and constitutional creations, it is paramount to recognize how the founding of such a nation was possible. Much of this how has, historically, been placed in the intellect of the Founding Fathers. Undoubtedly, the Fathers were truly creative, remarkable people, yet, creative people were not isolated to America and certainly the world has had its fair share of genius. What, literally, separates the Fathers from others is, what Baylin terms, their provincialism: “what conditioned and stimulated the Founders’ imagination and hence their capacity to begin the world anew was the fact that they came from outside the metropolitan establishment.” This distance, then, would be the lubricant that loosened the “fabrics of governments which have no model on the face of the globe.”
Bernard does an effective job in his provincialism argument, drawing evidence (and providing visuals) from such far reaches as architecture and portraits. It is, of course, important that he does this for the rest of the book sits largely upon this foundation; Baylin, after showing the how, addresses the why, in the form of subsequent chapters on Jefferson and Franklin, highlighting how their provincialism allowed for the right balance of idealism and realism. Had it not been for provincialism, Baylin argues, Jefferson would have undoubtedly been “less responsive to the principles of freedom, less committed to the vision of the golden age and more cautious in seeking it.” Provincialism is then the lynch pin in understanding why the ideology of the American Revolution has radiated with such weight.
While Baylin effectively demonstrates how and why the colonist’s remoteness from the metropolitan area would give them a seeming “moral advantage” in politics, he needs to go a step further, for “To Begin the World Anew” is lacking in any modern day commentary. In the end, one is left to wonder whether America still exudes the same provincialism today. Whether, in the many years following the Revolution, America hasn’t become the metropolitan establishment it was once distant from. Perhaps, though, Baylin has intended to leave these questions unanswered, preferring instead to inspire a step back to gain perspective. If such is the case, perhaps we can all take a lesson from the Founding Fathers and find wisdom and insight in distance.
Title: To Begin The World Anew
Author: Bernard Baylin
Publisher: Alfred A. Knoff
ISBN: 0375413774
Review written by: Gordon Bottomley
Reviewer's Rating:6.5
Reader's Rating: 2.00
Reader's Votes: 1
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