Ahead of its time

In our study of the European revolutions of 1830 and 1848, I could not help but think about how far behind the United States the European powers were. My key area of study as a history major here at Georgia is 19th century America. In 1830, the United States was on its seventh president in Andrew Jackson, and in 1848, James K. Polk. Granted, they were marching down the road to Civil War, but the nation was still on the large stable, and its last revolution fought 1776-1783. After that, there was next to no violent civil unrest, no domestic revolutions (save for slave revolts, but none to subvert the federal government).

As we have discussed, the revolutions in Europe had a myriad of stimuli, ranging from agricultural and financial crises to the presumed theft of rights from the people by the government, especially said rights which pertained to land and other private property. In the United States, rights like these found strong protection from not only state law, but also federal.

There are several likely causes for America being farther ahead than the European powers. The United States did not have to worry about other powers right next door interfering in their affairs, foreign and domestic. Furthermore, a large cause of many of the revolts between 1830 and 1848 was overpopulation and disease because too many people were being cramped into too small of space. In the United States, there were copious amounts of land into which they could expand, allowing for their growing population to expand westward. Because of this, the health and political problems that plagued Europe were able to be dispersed in America. Also, Americans during this time period (save for certain groups in the South), felt that they and their rights were being protected by the federal government, which for the most part is true. The Constitution had yet to fail them, and they had, most importantly, FAITH in their government. It is this intrinsic feeling of trust and faith that Europeans seem to lack (and for good reason). So, they turned to revolt.

It is interesting to me just how far ahead of its time America appears to be in comparison to Europe. I wonder why the governments in Europe did not follow the American example, seeing the political/social stability and economic prosperity (save for the panics that occurred during the 1830s) that the country was experiencing and enjoying. Perhaps it was a power play, perhaps it was that last fight to maintain tradition; I'm not entirely sure. The comparison, however, is an enthralling one.