The Real American Founding: Political Theory

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan introduce the The Real American Founding online course, sharing some personal anecdotes from their time as students of 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. The political theory of the American Founding is based on the principle that no one is born with a right to rule another human being. This theory requires government to proceed by consent and to secure the rights of its citizens; and, it requires every citizen to fulfill his corresponding duties under the law of nature. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.