America was born with a mission to defer power to individuals. Indeed, America’s underappreciated superpower comes from what its citizens figure out for themselves.
From the very beginning, the idea for the American economy was to set the rules for how Americans engage with each other. The government is here to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” as the Constitution’s Preamble states.
The blessings of liberty are not just to let people flourish in arts and culture as they see fit. They are to benefit ourselves by benefiting others. In the system of voluntary exchange, people figure out how to use the resources of the world — including their own talents — to serve the wants and needs of others. And as a reward, they get to share in the gains.
It is not the government’s job to tilt the scales used by the players in the market. Rather, government establishes laws that form the bounds of interactions. It establishes property rights, defines and enforces rules against malfeasance, and sets the legal framework for contracts used in commerce. As former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cooley put it, “The state can have no favorites. Its business is to secure the industry of all and to give all the benefit of equal laws.”
That’s not just a statement of ideals. It was a ruling against giving public funds to private businesses, an abuse of the system.
The hands-off approach to economic interaction has paid off in the form of an economy that encourages millions of people to cooperate with each other. Look at the ways the American people have made themselves and the rest of the world more prosperous. From inventing the lightning rod and the telephone to the modern conveniences around us, Americans have used their freedom to improve the lives of others. This system has made Americans the most prosperous people the world has ever known.
It is part of the Mackinac Center’s mission to protect the free markets that have caused so much prosperity. We’ve stopped coercive acts on workers, entrepreneurs, parents and others to let them live, work and raise their kids as they see fit.
But we cannot do this alone. American government doesn’t always live up to its ideals, not just in the economic realm but in other fundamental aspects. It is the American people’s duty to choose representatives who live up to American ideals and to hold them accountable when they fall short.
One way to bolster the ideals that have led to such greatness is to acknowledge and be grateful for them. This Semiquincentennial is an excellent time to reflect on the principles that brought us where we are.
