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Spring 2009

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Volume 24, Number 2

Categories: Spring 2009 | Religion

The Right of Private Judgment: Jonathan Mayhew's Religious Route to Political Individualism

J. Patrick Mullins, Marymount University

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise24(2),2009,101-111TheRightofPrivateJudgment:JonathanMayhew’sReligiousRoutetoPoliticalIndividualismJ.PatrickMullins*MarymountUniversityAbstractSomelibertarianeconomistsacknowledgetheimportanceofideologyandpublicopinioninadvancingthecauseoflibertyandlimitingthescopeofgovernment,buttheytendtoneglecttheimportanceofreligioninshapingtheAmericanpeople’spremisesaboutgovernment.TheAmericanRevolutionitselfwastheresultofashiftinpublicopiniontowardindividualrights,limitedgovernment,andtherighttoresisttyranny.OnecriticalsourceofthatshiftwastheNewEnglandclergymanJonathanMayhew,aforgottengiantinthehistoryofAmericanliberty.Inthisarticle,onecanseehowhisowncommitmenttotherightofindividualstothinkforthemselvesandpursuetheirownhappinessderivedfromhisreligiousbeliefs.Usingpulpitandpresstoadvancearadicallyindividualisticphilosophyofgovernment,MayhewhadamajorideologicalimpactonthelowerclassandmiddleclassinNewEngland,aswellassuchRevolutionaryleadersasJohnAdams,JamesOtis,andPaulRevere.MayhewtherebyprovidesanexampleofhowChristianclergy,wheninfluencedbyreason,haveservedhistoricallytoturnpublicopiniontowardpoliticalindividualism.JELCodes:B31,N91,Z12Keywords:Influenceofreligion;Ideology;Liberty;Individualrights;AmericanRevolution*IwouldliketothankEdwardP.Stringhamforencouragingmetowritethisarticle,fordirectingmetotheappropriateliteratureonpoliticaleconomy,andforhiseditorialfeedbackandguidance.IamgratefulfortheopportunityhehasgivenmetobringattentiontoJonathanMayhew,aneglectedgiantinAmericanhistory,andtohighlighttheimportanceofideas,includingreligiousideas,totheadvancementofliberty.WhilethearticlehasbenefitedfromStringham’shelp,anyerrorsitmaystillcontainareentirelymyown.101

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Title	The Right of Private Judgment: Jonathan Mayhew's Religious Route to Political Individualism
Authors/Creators:	J. Patrick Mullins, Marymount University
Year:	2009
Volume:	24
Number:	2
Pages:	101 - 111
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Religion and economics, Freedom, Individual rights, Political philosophy, Rights, Religious institutions, Liberalism

Citation:
Mullins, J. Patrick / 2009. "The Right of Private Judgment: Jonathan Mayhew's Religious Route to Political Individualism." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 24(2): 101-111.