Values and Society in Revolutionary America

Abstract

The original principles and values of the American Republic and how they were rooted in and were re flections of the particular social conditions in early America are the subjects of this paper. The foundation of the "Ameri can science of politics" was a hardheaded and realistic view of human nature. The founding fathers saw America as having in its power the ability to begin the world over by discover ing the "constant and universal principles" of government. What emerged from America's adaptation of the body of theory and tradition available was a system that was dis tinctively American. The American system incorporated the concept of the natural rights of man, existing independently of government. The government was limited by constitutions and by its representative nature; it was to be responsive and responsible to the people. The sovereignty resided within the people themselves. America would be safe from the tyranny of a majority faction by its multiplicity of interests. The primary purpose of government, according to the Declaration, was to secure man's inalienable rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and other values sought were unity and public virtue. These values expressed and reflected the social conditions of early America.