The influence of Lord Kames (Henry Home) on some of the founders of the United States

Rahmatian, A. (2015) The influence of Lord Kames (Henry Home) on some of the founders of the United States. Historia et Ius, 7, pp. 1-48.

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Abstract

The jurist, judge, philosopher and legal historian Henry Home, Lord Kames (1696-1782) was one of the principal representatives of the Scottish Enlightenment. He also shaped considerably the thinking of some of the founders of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Wilson. Franklin exchanged ideas with Kames about art and American affairs. For Adams, Kames was an authority on law and legal history, with a singularly critical stance towards the traditional feudal system. For Jefferson, Kames was an authoritative writer on law and a principal influence in the shaping of Jefferson’s own moral philosophy. Wilson made Kames a role model for young lawyers in a new American spirit. Kames’s thought has influenced these four founders of the United States more substantively than has commonly been assumed.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Rahmatian, Professor Andreas
Authors: Rahmatian, A.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Law
Journal Name:Historia et Ius
Publisher:Historia et Ius
ISSN:2279-7416
ISSN (Online):2279-7416
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 The Author
First Published:First published in Historia et Ius 7:1-8
Publisher Policy:Reproduced with the permission of the publisher
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