"It is true, indeed, that the national domain is ours. It is true it was acquired by the valor and with the wealth of the whole nation. But we hold, nevertheless, no arbitrary power over it"
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Ownership is the easy part; restraint is the argument. Seward opens with two patriotic concessions - yes, the land is “ours,” yes, it was bought with “valor” and “wealth” - then pivots to the real claim: national possession doesn’t equal national license. The sentence is built like a trap for expansionist swagger. By granting the crowd its favorite premises, he drains the emotional voltage from Manifest Destiny and forces the debate onto less romantic terrain: legitimacy, limits, and the responsibilities that come with power.
The key phrase is “no arbitrary power.” Seward isn’t denying sovereignty; he’s rejecting the idea that sovereignty is a blank check. In mid-19th-century America, “national domain” meant more than acreage. It meant the vast territories gained through purchase and war, and the explosive question of what could be done there - especially around slavery, settlement, and governance. Seward’s word choice courts a constitutional and moral audience at once: “arbitrary” evokes monarchy, tyranny, the very anti-Revolutionary posture Americans claimed to despise. He’s telling the nation: if you rule new land like an empire, you become what you fought.
Subtextually, it’s also a warning about majoritarian entitlement. “Whole nation” sounds inclusive, but Seward uses it to impose a collective ethic: because everyone paid, everyone is implicated; because the sacrifice was national, the standard must be higher than partisan appetite or local violence. The line works because it flatters American achievement while denying Americans the indulgence of thinking achievement cancels principle.
The key phrase is “no arbitrary power.” Seward isn’t denying sovereignty; he’s rejecting the idea that sovereignty is a blank check. In mid-19th-century America, “national domain” meant more than acreage. It meant the vast territories gained through purchase and war, and the explosive question of what could be done there - especially around slavery, settlement, and governance. Seward’s word choice courts a constitutional and moral audience at once: “arbitrary” evokes monarchy, tyranny, the very anti-Revolutionary posture Americans claimed to despise. He’s telling the nation: if you rule new land like an empire, you become what you fought.
Subtextually, it’s also a warning about majoritarian entitlement. “Whole nation” sounds inclusive, but Seward uses it to impose a collective ethic: because everyone paid, everyone is implicated; because the sacrifice was national, the standard must be higher than partisan appetite or local violence. The line works because it flatters American achievement while denying Americans the indulgence of thinking achievement cancels principle.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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