The US Founders and Confucianism

Abstract : America’s Founding Fathers made efforts towards the self-cultivation of personal virtue. The Founders frequently drew from Confucian philosophies and incorporating those into a new political framework for the young nation. Prominent colonists -Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, John Bartram, and Jedidiah Morse, among others demonstrated their respect for Confucian moral philosophy, incorporating its principles into a new and uniquely American political culture. Jefferson, who himself had drawn comparisons to Confucius, regarded the philosopher’s example of the “Chinese Prince” to be an ideal example for him to follow. Thomas Paine regarded Confucius -along with Jesus Christ and the Greek philosophers -as the world’s greatest moral teachers.James Madison, father of the US Constitution, hung a portrait of Confucius at his home. Through the founders’ efforts, some positive elements of Confucianism were weaved into the fiber of the new nation and therefore, helped laying foundation of the United States. 

About the lecturer : Dr. Dave Xueliang Wang, manager at Queen’s Library (New York),  has published dozens of articles on the influence of traditional Chinese civilization on the Founding Fathers in academic magazines circulated in China, India, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, and the United States. His works have been referenced by well-known authors worldwide, and articles have been used as teaching materials by several domestic and international universities. Most recently, Education About Asia recognized one of his articles as an outstanding learning tool. Dr. Wang has also delivered lectures and speeches on the Founding Fathers and Confucianism at universities worldwide, including ones in Beijing, Copenhagen, Lisbon, London, New York, Rome, Singapore, and Tokyo. His most recent publication is “Confucian Political Ideas in the Making of American Democracy,” published in the Virginia Review of Asian Studies, Volume 22, 2020