America’s founding rested on the philosophy of natural rights. This course follows natural rights theory from Locke through Paine and Jefferson and uncovers the specific legal and social changes it produced in the first half-century of the American republic. In commerce, the moral case against inherited privilege dismantled guilds and monopolies and laid the groundwork for free trade and general incorporation, the building blocks of American capitalism. In politics, the logic of equal rights pushed steadily toward universal suffrage and a broader understanding of citizenship. In the debate over slavery, natural rights made human bondage impossible to defend on its own terms, forcing its defenders to defend the institution on grounds of racial inferiority. Ayn Rand argued that America was a unique experiment in history, the first nation founded on a philosophy. This course is the elaboration of that claim.
Registrar’s note: Micro courses run 5 to 6 weeks and provide an opportunity for ARI students to explore an academic topic with an early career expert in that subject area—without a significant coursework burden. As micro courses have a different format and length than typical ARI live courses, they are significantly less expensive.
This course is open to current and former ARI students. Please note the class time for this course has been updated since its initial listing, to 11-12:30 PM Pacific Time.
Eligible for bundle discount. See Early America Micro Courses bundle note for details.
Mohamed Ali
ARI reserves the right to cancel or reschedule live courses. Students have the option to be refunded, credited, or transferred to another course should this occur.
ARI Live Courses are for avocational and professional development purposes. They are not licensed and not accredited.
ARI Live Courses participants must abide by our Code of Conduct and Confidentiality policies, and any other course policies communicated to participants.
This course is open to current and former ARI students. No specialized knowledge of American history is required.
We offer foundational courses in Objectivism and objective communication each year, as well as courses in special topics such as epistemology, literature, business, and intellectual history.
