American Heritage is an exploration of the foundational principles that underlie American tradition and culture. This course will operate with an understanding of the doctrine and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We will examine aspects of American Heritage in light of what we can learn from Church leaders and the scriptures.

In the 1760s, the American colonies enjoyed their position within the great British Empire. The colonies were free, democratic, and independent; so why did they have to fight a war for independence? To understand the answer to that question, we have to understand how and why the relationship between the colonies and the English government shifted.

The American people constructed their respective state governments from their theory that smaller was better and a non-existent central government was best. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a civic leader in Philadelphia, made an argument for a stronger national government. The colonists were not prepared to accept a strong national government at the time of their declaration of independence.

President Dallin H. Oaks explains why the US Constitution is important to members of The Church living anywhere in the world. “God revealed that He ‘established’ [the US Constitution] ‘for the rights and protection of all flesh’ That is why this constitution is of special concern for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world’

The majority of colonists in British North America, with some notable exceptions, were Protestants. At its core, Protestantism was a religious tradition of dissent from the status quo. Puritans were members of the Church of England that wished to remove, or purify, the church from the Catholic doctrine that remained. The Pilgrims were a group of separatists that wanted to no longer be a part of the church.

The American economic system, often called a Market System, allows for a significant amount of freedom as to what is produced and what is consumed. In this chapter we will examine the market system, how it operates and how it has developed in the United States. We will also look at other types of economic systems, and the ways in which they can be compared with a market economy.

The US is the wealthiest country in the world, but it has one of the highest disparities of wealth. Over the past 30 years, the unequal distribution of wealth has greatly increased and the gap has widened. Fixing perceived economic injustice has become an important political topic and focus. In a modern democratic republic, concentration of wealth can be a threat to democracy.

John Maynard Keynes greatly influenced the ideas of fiscal policy. Keynesianism says that economic downturns result from insufficient demand. This means there are many “idle resources” in the economy. In times of depression, prices may fall and consumers may still not have the ability to make purchases.

The founders made some distinctions between republican principles and the democratic spirit. Republican principles were considered good and the basis of any government that protected the people’s interests. The democratic spirit was somewhat feared by the philosophers because of its susceptibility to passion and factional divisions. The framers of the Constitution built in many protections against direct democracy.

In the early years after independence, American foreign policy revolved around strict isolation, neutrality, and avoiding political or military alliances with foreign nations, especially Europe. George Washington set this policy during his presidency by remaining a neutral bystander to the military conflicts of Europe and focusing on the internal affairs of the United States.

Social movements, focused on humanitarian goals and improving quality of life, occurred often. Many reformers were involved in more than one movement, as abolitionists became women’s rights advocates, legal reformers looked at slavery, and religious revivals looked to improve their community. We’ll begin with Jacksonian reform in the early Republic, and then look at more recent social change in the 1960s’ Great Society and Youth Rebellion.