The Real American Founding: Property Rights and Economics

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss whether or not the government should have control over the market before introducing David Azerrad and Thomas West. In this course, Thomas West, one of the leading scholars on the American Founding, is joined by David Azerrad, his former student and now colleague, to examine the principles of the Founders, explore the urgent political questions they faced, and reveal the choices they made to secure free government in America. The goal of their conversation is to move beyond a simple recitation of the abstract principles of the Founding and bring their political theory to life so we can see how the Founders approached the perennial problems of politics. A just economic system, according to the Founding, protected the right of citizens to possess and acquire property. The Founders sought to secure this right through exclusive ownership of property by private citizens, the encouragement of free markets as far as is compatible with the rights and interests of citizens, and a stable standard of money. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.