Opinion

Lincoln, the American Founding, and the Moral Foundations of a Free Society

12/30/2021|Updated: 12/30/2021

Commentary

Abraham Lincoln believed that the success of American self-government required the right ideas and the right institutions. He thought that the right ideas were found in the Declaration of Independence—specifically, human equality, individual rights, government by consent of the governed, and the right of revolution. A corollary to these bedrock principles was “the right to rise,” which Lincoln described as the duty “to improve one’s condition.” These ideas of the Declaration were so fundamental that Lincoln referred to “the principles of Jefferson” as “the definitions and axioms of free society” and “the father of all moral principle” in the American people.

Lucas Morel

Author

Lucas Morel is professor of politics and head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University, and holds a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University. He is the editor of "Lincoln and Liberty: Wisdom for the Ages" (2014), and author of "Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: Defining Religion’s Role in American Self-Government" (2000) and "Lincoln and the American Founding" (2020). Dr. Morel is a member of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which will plan activities to commemorate the founding of the United States of America in 2026.