Date Thesis Awarded
5-2021
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
History
Advisor
Simon Middleton
Committee Members
James Whittenburg
John Lombardini
Abstract
The moral quantity of “happiness” provides an organizing principle for understanding the political thought of James Wilson. By using happiness as a metric for understanding his thought, the Revolution can be conceptualized as an intervention in favor of human improvement. In his political thought, Wilson supported an actively empowered government which could take steps needed to support citizens’ moral and material advancement and ultimately, their happiness.
Recommended Citation
Diestelow, Kevin, "The Republic of Happiness: James Wilson, Political Thought, and the American Revolution" (2021). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1589.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1589
