Protestantism and the American Founding

This welcome new book explores the relationship between Protestant theology and American political thought of the founding era. It gathers together both new and well-known essays by scholars and outstanding thinkers in political philosophy, beginning with Michael Zuckert’s lead essay, derived from his work The Natural Rights Republic, that the thought of the American founding era is best described as an amalgam of Protestantism and Lockean political philosophy. Some contributors challenge Zuckert’s
amalgam thesis,
arguing, on the one side, that Locke himself was a Protestant political theologian, and, on the other, that Lockean political philosophy is incompatible with Christian political thought. Others defend or develop a middle ground between these two perspectives. Most of the contributors argue that the influence of Protestantism on the Founding helped create a dynamic role for religion that made America the most religious modern nation. The debate on the influence of Protestantism is enriched by classic selections from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. The resulting dialogue provides fresh and provocative insights into the way in which politics and religion interacted during the founding of America. Thomas Engeman’s introduction and Michael Zuckert’s reflection on the issues raised by the essayists round out the book. Protestantism and the American Founding will serve as a valuable classroom guide for discussion and debate about issues in American and modern political philosophy.