Thomas G. West’s The Political Theory of the American Founding: Natural Rights, Public Policy, and the Moral Conditions of Freedom (2017) challenges the modern scholarly view that the American founding was a confused "amalgam" of conflicting ideas. Instead, West argues the Founders shared a centered on natural rights . 🏛️ The Core Argument: Natural Rights as the Lens

West disputes the idea that the Founding was a "blend" of disparate elements. He argues that while the Founders valued common law and Protestantism, they only accepted these insofar as they supported natural rights. ⚖️ The Role of Virtue and Public Policy

The doctrine of equality and the laws of nature are the foundational core of their theory.

The Political Theory Of The American Founding: ... Access

Thomas G. West’s The Political Theory of the American Founding: Natural Rights, Public Policy, and the Moral Conditions of Freedom (2017) challenges the modern scholarly view that the American founding was a confused "amalgam" of conflicting ideas. Instead, West argues the Founders shared a centered on natural rights . 🏛️ The Core Argument: Natural Rights as the Lens

West disputes the idea that the Founding was a "blend" of disparate elements. He argues that while the Founders valued common law and Protestantism, they only accepted these insofar as they supported natural rights. ⚖️ The Role of Virtue and Public Policy

The doctrine of equality and the laws of nature are the foundational core of their theory.