Locke & Montesquieu: The Philosophers Behind the Founders

Where did the founding ideas of Washington, Madison, and Jefferson find their origins? How did America come to be the preeminent example of the sovereignty of the people? Four professors discuss how the foundational ideas behind this unique political experiment can be traced back to two extraordinary thinkers: John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu.

00:00 - Opening
00:51 - Title Card
00:57 - Locke & Montesquieu
01:21 - Locke's Influence
02:58 - Montesquieu's Influence
03:58 - Constituting a Government: balance of powers
05:42 - Locke and Montesquieu's ideas today
06:28 - End Credits

#FedSocFilms #FedSoc #ThePhilosophersBehindTheFounders #FoundingPhilosophers #FoundingFathers #TheFederalistSociety #Locke #Montesquieu

Featuring:

Professor Paul Carrese | Director of the School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University
https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/3062537

Professor Eric R. Claeys | Professor of Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
https://www.law.gmu.edu/faculty/direc...

Professor Paul A. Rahe | Professor of History, Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage, Member of Graduate Faculty at Hillsdale College
https://www.hillsdale.edu/faculty/pau...

Professor Michael Zuckert | Nancy R. Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame
https://politicalscience.nd.edu/peopl...

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

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Related Links & Differing Views:

Democracy in Moderation: Montesquieu, Tocqueville, and Sustainable Liberalism
https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Mode...

America’s Civic Virtue of Moderation
https://jackmillercenter.org/americas...

Montesquieu & the Separation of Powers
https://oll.libertyfund.org/page/mont...

Launching Liberalism: On Lockean Political Philosophy
https://www.amazon.com/Launching-Libe...

Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/97803...

Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vm1f9

#FedSocFilms