I am happy to announce that Bloomsbury Publishing has just released my latest book, The Character of a Nation: John Witherspoon and the Moral Foundation of the United States. The book explores the political vision of John Witherspoon (1723–1794), a founding father of both the American Presbyterian Church and the United States. As a preacher, college president (Princeton), political leader, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon insisted that the success of the American Revolution and the new republic depended on people with good political character—an investment in the common good, a respect for moral law, and a priority on the protection of human rights. Without these commitments among citizens and their leaders, Witherspoon believed the new United States was doomed to fail.

The book examines how Witherspoon conceived of this kind of political character, what kinds of institutions he thought were necessary to cultivate it, and what effect he thought it should have on Americans’ views of war, government, and political dissent. The book also deals carefully with Witherspoon’s own hypocrisy on matters of moral character, given that he was complicit in racial slavery. Ultimately, The Character of a Nation invites us to consider what it means for us today to be a nation founded by leaders like Witherspoon, at once eloquent on ideals of life, liberty, and the common pursuit of happiness while also responsible for the sin of racial violence that continues to plague us today.