503. The United States Develops out of West and East Civilizations

I have written this blog for over ten years. Readers of it are from all over the world. From Dr. Dave Wang's pioneering reseach they have learned historical fact that the founders of this nation draw positive elements from Chinese civilization and used the elements tireless in their efforts to create the new nation in north America.

I have to point out that it is impossible for anyone to ignore influence and contributions of Chinese civilzation on the development of the United States. It is a hard fact that the United States came into being not only because of West but also Chinese civilization. For exmaple, it was the Chinese merit system in selecting public civil servants that helped lifting the United States out from the century of corruption.

The acceptance of the Confucian merit system changed the history of the United States. To assume the merit system “is not merely a mode of procedure and an economy, but has become a vital question of principle and public morality, involving the counterpoise and in no small degree the stability of the government itself.”[1] The merit system elevated the United States up to “a new and higher standard in official life.”[2] It has been recognized that the adoption of the Pendleton Act “amounted to nothing less than [a] recasting of the foundations of national institutional power.”[3]

It was impossible to build a democratic society on the foundations of the Spoils System. When applied to American politics, the Spoils System caused tremendous turnover of federal employees with every new presidency in the White House. Public employees were chosen based on party affiliation rather than on their knowledge and dedication to their positions. As President Theodore Roosevelt aptly said, the spoils system “was more fruitful of degradation in our political life than any other that could have possibly been invented. The spoils monger, the man who peddled patronage, inevitably bred the vote-buyer, the vote-seller, and the man guilty of misfeasance in office."[4]

It took a great, combined effort to eliminate the Spoils System and return the United States to the democratic roots that Benjamin Franklin had originally envisioned. During America’s Century of Corruption, many presidents struggled with the inefficiencies of the system as well as disgruntled supporters who were denied government positions. Thomas Jefferson suffered a permanent blow to his reputation when he denied James Callender; James Garfield lost his life when he rejected Charles Guiteau. The civil service reform movement elevated the status of president beyond that of a “petty job broker” and restored faith in the nation’s founding principles by allowing any qualified person to serve his or her country.

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[1] Dorman B. Eaton, Civil Service in Great Britain: A History of Abuse and Reforms and Their Bearing Upon American Politics, New York, Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1880, p.438.

[2] Ibid.,  p.VI.

[3] Stephen Skowronek, Building a New American State: The Expansion of National Administrative

Capacities, 1877-1920,  New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982, p.67.

[4] Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner, in a letter dated February 8, 1895.

[5] Thomas Jenckes, The Civil Service Report, p.124

 

482. The Meaning of Chinese Porcelain Ware in North America Colonies

 Mr. Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the President of Hawaii State History Education Council sent me the paper, 'Holy grail of American ceramics' found in dig at American Revolution Museum. It reveals the fact that some local made ceramic wares in the site of Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. The article reminded me of the article by Dr. Dave Wang. Please enjoy yourself with reading some paragraphs below:

The demand for Chinese porcelain and the efforts to get rid of Great Britain’s control over it helped to create the national conscience of the patriots.    

        Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), one of the founding fathers of the United States, was among the first group of colonists who put forward the concept of building a porcelain factory in North America.[i] Dr. Rush’s intention was to overcome the colonies’ dependence on Great Britain for goods and trade. The endeavor of building such a factory was far beyond the porcelain only. It demonstrated the colonists’ determination to be independent from their motherland.

 Go on in encouraging American manufactures. I have many schemes in view with regard to these things. I have made those mechanical arts which are connected with chemistry the particular objects of my study and not without hopes of seeing a china manufactory established in Philadelphia in the course of a few years. Yes, we will be revenged by the mother country. For my part, I am resolved to devote my head, my heart, and my pen entirely to the service of America, and promise myself much assistance from you in everything of this kind that I shall attempt through life.[ii]

        The Americans wanted to diminish their reliance on taxed imports and ultimately their need for other goods controlled by England. Their pursuing self supply of Chinese porcelain ware became a powerful call for the patriotic support of American economical independence. Some colonists attempted  to establish a porcelain manufactory company in Philadelphia in 1769. They established the factory on Prime Street “near the present day navy yard, intended to make china at a savings of 15,000 £. “[iii] Benjamin Franklin, who was in London at the time, showed his happiness seeing the achievement made by his countrymen. He said, “I am pleased to find so good progress made in the China Manufactory. I wish it Success most heartily.”[iv]

        The AmericanChina Manufactory became noted for the porcelain ware it produced. More importantly, it succeeded in cultivating patriotic support. It set in motion “an intense competition between the young American factory and its English contemporaries.”[v] Although the porcelain factory lasted to 1772, it challenged Britain’s monopoly of the Chinese products and ultimately contributed to the winning of American independence. Benjamin Rush stated clearly that he had regarded the manufacture as an important means to mobilize the Americans to build a new nation in North America: “There is but one expedient left whereby we can save our sinking country, and that is by encouraging American manufactures. Unless we do this, we shall be undone forever.”[vi]

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[i] Michael K. Brown, Piecing Together the Past: Recent research on the American China Manufactory, 1769-1772, in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 133, no. 4, 1989, p.557.

[ii] Benjamin Rush to Thomas Bradford, 15 April 1768, in L. H. Butterfield ed., Letters of Benjamin Rush, Princeton University Press, vol. 1, p. 54.

[iii] John Fanning Watson ed. Annals of Philadelphia. See also Michael K. Brown, Piecing Together the Past: Recent research on the American China Manufactory, 1769-1772, in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 133, no. 4, 1989, p.555.

[iv] Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 28 January 1772, in Franklin Papers. It is available on line at http://www.franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

[v] Michael K. Brown, Piecing Together the Past: Recent research on the American China Manufactory, 1769-1772, in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 133, no. 4, 1989, p.573.

[vi] Benjamin Rush to probably Jacob Rush, 26 January 1769, in L. H. Butterfield ed., Letters of Benjamin Rush, Princeton University Press, vol. 1, p.74. Also in Pennsylvania Journal, no, 1374, 6 April 1769.

466. China's Cultural Impact on the World Stopped at the Water Edge?

In his article, Looking at China's past to understand its future,  Mr. Cliff Stearns,  the U.S. Representative for Florida’s 6th Congressional District from 1989 to 2013,  and President of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, pointed out that China's cultural impact on other countries often stopped at the water edge.  No doubt, Cliff hasn't read Dr. Dave Wang's papers on Chinese cultural influence on colonial North America and the founders efforts to borrow from Chinese culture in their efforts to build a new country in North America. In deed, from the Great Wall to Confucius, the founders used many positive Chinese culture elements to help with their endeavor to lead Americans to start an uncharted journey in North America. From the image you can tell the speech, Dr. Dave Wang made in Japan in 2010.

462. Chinese Culture Helpd American Founding

We all know the historical fact that Chinese tea helped trigger the American Revolution. On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Native Americans dumped into the Boston Harbor the tea from Fujian Province of China. The British government took action to protect the interests of the East Indian Company. The event led to the American Revolution.   

Thank to Dr. Dave Wang's research, we have learned that Chinese culture also helped the founding of the United States. During the founding era of the United States, the Founding Fathers “managed to establish a set of ideas and institutions that, over the stretch of time, became the blueprint for political and economic success for the nation-state in the modern world.”^[1]  Dr. Dave Wang's intent is to bring to light to what was the founders’ efforts to adopt some principles of Confucian moral philosophy and made them into the fiber of the new virtue met the requirement of a free and democratic society. 

The founders tried to develop good morals to ensure that the democratic system would function in correct direction. They attempted to use Confucian moral philosophy to safeguard the democratic system, build private virtue, and bring up citizens with good morals to serve the new nation. Through the founders’ efforts, Confucian moral philosophy contributed greatly to the formation of the American virtue.

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[1] Joseph J. Ellis, American Creation: Triumph and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, Alfred Knoopf, a Division of Random House, New York, 2007, p.3.

453. Cross-Cultural Understanding between China and the United States

For many Americans, China, the second largest economy in the world, is a little bit scary. China is not only America’s fastest growing trade partner, but also a nuclear power. With a huge population and a very different history and culture, it is, to state the obvious, the definition of “foreign.”

Carola McGiffert, President of the 100,000 Strong Foundation, stated, " Cross-cultural understanding between our two nations is critical if we are to work together to solve our greatest shared challenges. The more we know about China, the more we will appreciate its perspective, its politics and its people."

She called upon, "We must expose more American youth to Chinese language and study abroad opportunities. Our two nations and our world depend on it."  To add to the list, I think that all Americans schools should teach about the history of the efforts of the founders to borrow from Chinese civilization in their endeavor to create a new culture in the United States. In this point I agree with Mr. Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the President of History Education Council of Hawaii States. He requested al schools in Hawaii State to teach Dr. Dave Wang's research in their history classrooms.

I would like to quote the following statement from Mr. Mead, “We'd like to call to your attention the pioneering research and writings of History Education Hawaii director, Dr. Dave Wang. His research has opened fresh eyes to something long neglected in the founding of the United States of America: the influence of Chinese civilization on the American Founders. " He also states, "Dr. Wang’s research and scholarship have added a new and exciting illuminations into the founding of the United States of America, the influence of China’s civilization and traditions on the founders. This is something that should be taught in our American and Chinese history courses.”