How Anglo-Saxons and Celts Remade the World in 1776

Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government

Available on-demand

Inhabit the mental landscape of the American Founders as you witness the convergence of ancient law and revolutionary thought. Brad Birzer ’90, Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and Professor of History at Hillsdale College, reveals the confluence of ideas in 1776 between America and Scotland. Explore the intersection of rights and traditions as found in the Declaration of Independence and in the works of Adam Smith to synthesize the enduring legacies of 1776 into a necessary historical grounding for the modern citizen.

In what sense are “all men . . . created equal”? What is human liberty? What is prosperity, and how is wealth created? In 1776 these questions were addressed and acted upon in ways that have created the modern world. Commemorating the 250th anniversary, explore 1776 and the ideas that made the modern world, focusing on the Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations.

1776 and the Ideas That Made the Modern World, taught by Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame and the Founding Director of ND’s Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government, and James Otteson, John T. Ryan Jr. Professor of Business Ethics in the Mendoza College of Business is sponsored by the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government at the University of Notre Dame. To find out more, please visit their website.

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The 1776 project represents a strategic recovery of the principles that birthed the modern era. Understanding the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic roots of Western civilization is vital because it demonstrates that the American Revolution was not a spontaneous rupture with the past, but the fulfillment of a deep, ancient tradition of liberty and law.

The Pre-Christian Genesis of Common Law

Brad Birzer ’90 argues that the American founding was a profoundly conservative act, rooted in the immediate adoption of Anglo-Saxon common law. This legal system, which predates Christianity, provides the bedrock for modern protections such as habeas corpus, trial by jury, and the presumption of innocence. Thomas Jefferson viewed this history through a “mythic” lens, championing the legend of Hangust and Horsa—Saxon warriors who established a system of laws based on public happiness. Jefferson so valued this heritage that he proposed Hangust and Horsa for the Great Seal of the United States, alongside the Children of Israel. Jefferson’s reputation as a champion of these rights was solidified in 1774 with his Summary View of the Rights of British America. Written when he was only 31 and published against his will, this document argued that Americans were merely reclaiming the natural rights of their Saxon forebears. Consequently, the 28 grievances in the Declaration of Independence are best understood as specific, strategic defenses against violations of this ancient common law inheritance.

The Twin Pillars – Jefferson and Smith

The lecture identifies Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith as the “twin pillars” of 1776. Both were influenced by the Stoic tradition and the concept of the logos—a universal reason connecting the human person to the divine. Jefferson did not claim originality for his ideas; rather, he sought to harmonize the “American mind” by drawing upon the works of Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, and Sidney. While Jefferson’s status as a slaveholder presents a difficult paradox, Birzer notes that the original draft of the Declaration included a blistering condemnation of the slave trade as an execrable violation of human rights. This excised paragraph proves that the language of equality was intended as a universal claim, setting a standard of dignity for all mankind that transcended the author’s own inconsistencies.

The Classical Mindset and the Cosmopolis of Reason

The radical success of the American Revolution was underpinned by an education system far more rigorous than contemporary standards. The Founding generation emerged from a culture of extreme literacy, where 90 to 95% of the population engaged with complex texts like Tacitus’s history of the Germanic tribes. Early American colleges, serving students aged 14 to 17, required applicants to be fluent in Greek and Latin, often demanding translations between the two. This shared classical language was so pervasive that battlefield orders at Yorktown were delivered in Latin—the only common tongue between the French and American forces. This created a “cosmopolis” of reason, allowing the Founders to move beyond sectarian divides to articulate a vision of human dignity that remains the global standard.

The Declaration of Independence stands as a promissory note for the realization of these truths, as evidenced by the testimonies of the scholars leading this conversation.

The Pre-Christian Genesis of Common Law: American protections such as habeas corpus and jury trials are not 18th-century inventions; they are an inheritance from ancient Anglo-Saxon legal traditions that predated the arrival of Christianity in England.
The Mythic Recovery of Saxon Liberty: The Founders utilized a “mythic” view of history—embodied by figures like Hangust and Horsa—to establish a sense of historical right and cultural continuity, grounding the Revolution in the restoration of lost freedoms.
The Radical Synthesis of Toleration and Speech: While previous experiments like Maryland in 1649 achieved religious toleration by suppressing public speech, the American Revolution was radical for combining complete religious freedom with absolute freedom of speech.
Classical Literacy as the Bridge to Cosmopolis: The rigorous Greek and Latin education of the Founders created a “cosmopolis” of reason. This shared intellectual heritage allowed individuals of different sects and nations to communicate effectively, even serving as a common language on the battlefield at Yorktown.
The Finality of the Universal Promissory Note: As Martin Luther King Jr. later articulated, the Declaration’s claim that “all men are created equal” serves as a permanent promissory note. It is an absolute, final statement of human dignity that compels the ongoing realization of justice for all people.

“America is at once deeply deeply conservative… immediately when we declared our independence we adopted the common law as our law.” — Brad Birzer ’90
“What holds the god to the human being it would be the logos.” — Brad Birzer ’90
“It was intended to be an expression of the American mind and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.” — Brad Birzer ’90
“Every one of us has benefited from two things… Christianity… [and] the Declaration of Independence.” — Brad Birzer ’90
“Almost all of American history has been the realization of that sentence [all men are created equal].” — Brad Birzer ’90