Adams, Jefferson, and the Jews: Supplementary Readings.

Abstract

Throughout the academic year 2011–2012, the Straus Center been presented seminars and lectures on the subject of “Jewish Ideas and American Democracy.” Our goal is to bring classic Jewish texts into conversation with the foundational works of American political thought. In so doing, we consider the following questions: How did Jewish notions of politics, the social contract, and covenant impact the eventual structure and nature of the United States? How did the Bible figure in the debates about democracy and monarchy that took place during the time of America’s founding? In what way is the United States different from European democracies, and what is the role of religion in American public life? As a supplement to a discussion of Thomas Jefferson’s and John Adams’ views of religion in general and Judaism in particular, we present the following sources and articles to facilitate further reflection on the aforementioned questions.