The Free and the Virtuous: Why the Founders Knew that Character Mattered

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What did liberty mean to the American founding fathers It was not just about limited government, protecting rights, and leaving people free to live their own definition of the good life. It was to be a movement toward the highest human flourishing. A new genus of liberty had taken root here in the fresh American soil, and there was a special somethinga moral disciplinethat was inherent in the American character that would allow it to thrive. Above all, real liberty was dependent upon good character. The new nation had barely gotten any traction, however, when the founders ideal of a liberty based upon virtue began to lose its luster. Overtime, liberty gradually became more about rights and less about the responsibility to be good. Character no longer matters, and we dont seem to mourn the loss.

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The Free and The Virtuous is a great research tool for anyone studying the American Founding. The relatively short chapters/essays would make great reading in an educational setting to introduce students to the concepts of character, virtue and liberty as they were understood by the American Founders.

Author Bio

Heather Dudley is adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College.