HG

lecture lesson 9

Introduction to American Founding

  • The American founding is often presented as spontaneous but is rooted in historical traditions.

  • Thomas Jefferson emphasized that the Declaration of Independence expressed the "American mind" based on historical abuses.

Historical Foundations

  • Development of key documents like the Declaration and Constitution was a cumulative process influenced by earlier traditions.

  • Influences from Greco-Roman culture, Christian theology, and Western civilization shaped the foundation of America.

Influences on American Thought

  • Awareness of Greek, Roman, and Christian ideas provided a historical framework for the founders.

  • The founders felt a deep responsibility to both past and future through their cultural inheritance.

Faith as a Foundation

  • Religion, especially Christianity, was central to colonial culture and politics.

  • The majority of colonists were Protestant and sought religious liberty in the New World.

  • The Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s significantly increased church attendance and religious engagement.

Classical Influences

  • Founders studied historical cycles of tyranny and anarchy from classical history to inform their governance.

  • Concepts from Aristotle and Roman thought about separating powers informed the structure of American government.

  • Importance of virtue and honor as taught by the ancients resonated in their political philosophy.

British Heritage

  • British history, especially the struggle for liberty and the rights of Englishmen since Magna Carta, greatly influenced American thought.

  • The founders distinguished themselves as inheritors of British constitutionalism while advocating for their rights.

The Enlightenment

  • Enlightenment ideas significantly shaped the American founders, promoting individual freedom and economic progress.

  • American Enlightenment differed from the French version, avoiding radicalism and maintaining a focus on traditional human nature.

Key Figures and Ideas

  • John Locke's teaching of natural rights, government by consent, and limitation of power significantly impacted American political thought.

  • Founders mixed Locke's ideas with religious and classical traditions for a coherent ideological framework.

Nature and Rights

  • The concept of rights based on nature became essential in justifying independence from Britain.

  • Terms like "laws of nature and nature’s God" from the Declaration of Independence reflect deep philosophical roots.

American Revolution: Old and New

  • The American Revolution sought to establish a new government while being grounded in traditional principles of liberty.

  • The revolution transformed perceptions and principles in the minds of the populace, leading to the new American identity.

Conclusion

  • The American Revolution represents both a break from British rule and a restoration of long-held traditions of human liberty.

  • This duality illustrates how the founding was a thoughtful synthesis of various ideas shaping the American mind.