Lesson 2: What Ideas about Civic Life Informed the Founding Generation?
How did Greek and Roman thought influence at least some of the Founders? (Video)
Influence of classical republicanism; Plato, Aristotle, Cicero; Aristotle's good and bad forms of government; Plato's philosopher kings; man a political animal; roles of citizens and leaders; civic virtue; and Cicero and morality, duty, and the common good.
Student Questions: Unit 1, Lesson 2, Sections 1-3 (pdf download)
What values from the natural rights philosophy influenced the Founding generation? (Video)
Americans blend classical republicanism and natural rights philosophy; Hobbes and nature of man, state of nature, and social contract; Locke and inalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, social contract, formation of civil society and government, and purposes of government.
Which of the two philosophies studied by the Founders, classical republicanism or the natural rights philosophy has been most influential on American political thought? (Video)
Natural rights and classical republican philosophy in the Declaration of Independence and Virginia Declaration of Rights; dominance of natural rights philosophy; unalienable rights and the pursuit of happiness; and popular sovereignty.
Steven Pinker Interviews Thomas Hobbes (Video)
Steve Pinker discusses the questions he would ask Thomas Hobbes if they were to have dinner together.
The life of George Washington (Video)
At Archiving Early America.
The Declaration of Independence (Audio)
A reading of the Declaration of Independence. From Learn Out Loud. Size: 2.2 mb.
Leviathan (Audio)
The reading of Leviathan, or The Matter, Form, and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiastical and Civil, Book I and II. From Librivox.
Hobbes: Leviathan (Audio)
Nigel Warburton outlines Thomas Hobbes' central arguments from Leviathan in his reading of a selection from his book Philosophy: The Classics. From Learn Out Loud.
60-Second Civics, Episode 96: Natural Rights Philosophy: Human Equality (Audio)
An examination of human equality as an aspect of natural rights philosophy.
60-Second Civics, Episode 95: Natural Rights Philosophy: Limited Government (Audio)
A discussion of limited government as an aspect of natural rights philosophy.
60-Second Civics, Episode 94: Natural Rights Philosophy: Popular Sovereignty an (Audio)
Popular sovereignty and government by consent as aspects of natural rights philosophy.
60-Second Civics, Episode 93: Natural Rights Philosophy: Individual Rights (Audio)
Individual rights as an aspect of natural rights philosophy.
60-Second Civics, Episode 92: Natural Rights Philosophy: John Locke (Audio)
The philosophy of John Locke.
60-Second Civics, Episode 91: Natural Rights Philosophy: Thomas Hobbes (Audio)
The philosophy of Thomas Hobbes.
60-Second Civics, Episode 90: Natural Rights Philosophy: Influence on Founders (Audio)
The values from natural rights philosophy that influenced the founding generation.
60-Second Civics, Episode 89: Natural Rights Philosophy (Audio)
Continued discussion of the role of philosophy in the study of government.
60-Second Civics, Episode 88: Divine Right (Audio)
Discussion of the role of philosophy in government and examination of the divine right of kings.
60-Second Civics, Episode 87: Moral Education, Part 2 (Audio)
How moral education was taught in colonial America.
60-Second Civics, Episode 86: Moral Education, Part 1 (Audio)
Moral education as an aspect of classical republicanism.
60-Second Civics, Episode 85: Cincinnatus and Washington as Examples of Civic Vi (Audio)
Cincinnatus and Washington as examples of civic virtue.
60-Second Civics, Episode 84: Citizenship and Civic Virtue in Classical Republi (Audio)
Citizenship and civic virtue in classical republicanism.
60-Second Civics, Episode 83: Small Communities in Classical Republicanism (Audio)
An examination of small, uniform communities as an influential aspect of classical republicanism.
60-Second Civics, Episode 82: Classical Republicanism and the Common Good (Audio)
A discussion of the devotion of citizens to the common good as a central feature classical republicanism.
60-Second Civics, Episode 81: The Roman Republic As Example and Warning (Audio)
How the history of the Roman Republic was both an example and a warning to America's founding generation.
60-Second Civics, Episode 80: Influence of the Roman Republic (Audio)
The influence of the Roman Republic.
