This research paper can be based on the preceding research presentation. Unlike the response paper, your focus has to be on analysis rather than on opinion. You are supposed to develop a thesis in the

Running Head: RESEARCH PRESENTATION 0

Research Presentation

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Topic

Foundations of the American political thought

This topic is relevant because, to understand the American political thought, one has to understand the foundations upon which the political thought is based. American political thought is based on four foundations (Nelson, 2017). The constitution; citizenship and nationhood; rights, liberties and freedom; and presidency and separation of powers.  

The Constitution

The development of the United States politics is ingrained in the opposition between Loyalists, who were loyal to the British Crown, and patriots who reinforced the revolution. The founders maintained that there was a need for a new constitution to resolve the issues of power, efficiency, and stability. It was after passionate discussions and debates throughout the 1787 convention that delegates decided on the text and the constitution was approved in 1790 (Pocock, 2017). Americans gave constitutional arrangements a lot of power. The constitution, therefore, became the rulebook of the United States government. It sets out what the government can do and how to do it. The American ideals are institutionalized in the constitution.

Citizenship and Nationhood

The revolution birthed a new shared identity from the colonial population which was divided into class, religion, and ethnicity. The constitution was started with the words ‘we the people’ hinting at the citizens. The new identity covered all people living with the borders of America. Since the American nation has been established by the people, for the people, the right to vote has become the symbol of American citizenship (Nelson, 2017).

Rights, Liberties, and Freedom

Freedom for the American people was born in the revolution. During the struggle for independence, the concept of liberty further advanced. The importance of liberty and freedom was replicated in the constitution. American Revolution was influenced by a major philosophical current that constituted ideas from British liberals. Both republicanism and liberalism of that time inspired a commitment to restrained arbitrary power, freedom of religion and speech, and constitutional government. The security of property was considered as the very basis of freedom. Colonial America was a civilization with a strong potential for democracy and fought for the American Revolution in the name of liberty. Since its beginning, devotion to freedom has become the spirit of American nationalism (Nelson, 2017).

Presidency and Separation of Powers

It was after very exhausting and long debates during the constitutional convention of 1787 that the office of the president was established. These debates mirrored colonial experiences with the monarchy. The founders were aware that the English King was very powerful and taking James Madison's warning, that accumulating all powers (legislative, executive, and judiciary) in the same hands would be the very definition of autocracy, designed the office accordingly. They established the presidency institution in the second article of the constitution. The powers of the president are balanced by Congress via a very well defined chain of command (Wright, 2017). 

Three Questions

1. Why is studying American political thought important?

2. Does the history of the American political thought matter? If yes why, if no why not?

3. Who are some of the key figures in the history of America’s political thought?

Three scholarly articles for my research

Nelson, E. (2017). The ideological origins and the history of political thought. Eighteenth-Century Studies, 50(3), 314-317.

Pocock, J. G. A. (2017). From The Ancient Constitution to Barbarism and Religion; The Machiavellian Moment, the history of political thought and the history of historiography. History of European Ideas, 43(2), 129-146.

Wright, B. F. (2017). American Interpretations of Natural Law: A Study in the History of Political Thought. Routledge.