Christianity, the Founders, and American Liberalism

The Founders of the United States prioritized individualism and natural rights, yet they also enshrined religious morality and deemed it to be essential for the maintenance of a liberal nation. Scholars have offered many explanations for this dichotomous relationship and numerous variables have been credited with being the most significant in shaping the Founding, including the lack of a feudal tradition and the influence of John Locke. I will argue that Christianity influenced the Founders and their formulation of American liberalism as advanced by Locke, resulting in a liberal democracy guided by Christian morality. First, I will examine several religious experiences that occurred within the colonies prior to the Founding, starting with an analysis of the Puritans and their communities. I will also discuss the persecution of the Quakers and the role that it played in shaping the colonial religious landscape. I will similarly use the revivals of the Great Awakening to explain both the religious landscape that influenced the Founders and the acceptance of Christian morality by colonial society at large. I will then look at the period of the Founding, introducing Deism and showing that its endorsement by some of the Founders did not detract from the unique Christian morality that guided early America. I will closely examine the work of John Locke and his philosophy of natural rights and liberalism in relation to the contemporaneous Christian morality that was dominant within the colonies. Finally, the various channels through which Christianity influenced the Founders will be summarized and an alternative thesis advanced by various scholars will be presented.