Foreword

This is the second edition of a book designed to present the required reading for Touro University’s course on American political theory. I taught this course using the first edition during the 2022-23 academic year, and my experience teaching three sections of students led me to make changes in the readings. I have added more from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln and eliminated some late 20th-century works from theorists who have not become part of mainstream American political theory. I hope to cover them in a different book on contemporary political theory.

Trying to cover over 200 years of history has required significant editing of the works excerpted here. I have done my best to preserve the ideas of the authors while making them more accessible to 21st-century readers. I have updated punctuation, capitalization, and most spelling to make reading easier. In a few cases I have retained the original spelling when the meaning is clear to contemporary readers.

I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Prof. Aaron Weinstein of Fairfield University, who made numerous helpful suggestions on my revised second edition. His diligent review not only prevented errors but also led to a wider selection of authors and improved content.

This book is dedicated to my parents, Henry and Barbara Ann Rozinski, who fortuitously named me after the great medieval political philosopher Thomas Aquinas. The values they taught me still inspire me today.

Thomas Rozinski

Brooklyn, New York

January 13, 2024