“Intellectual Foundations brings together important writings by the greatest and most influential thinkers of the Western tradition. The collection is an invitation to enter into the debates that have shaped the religious, political, and economic institutions of the West. It is a liberal arts education in a single volume.”

—Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University

“Diving into this erudite reader is like listening to Beethoven or watching the aurora borealis. It’s an experience beside which the mill run of other books pale in comparison. For here, in one tapestry of artful essays and profound thought, are gathered the classic literary underpinnings of Western Civilization traditions. Ranging from Plato to John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther to Joan of Arc, Thomas Aquinas to Helen Keller, and John Locke to W.E.B. DuBois—all impressively curated by a laudatory team of scholars—is deeply edifying. This omnibus illuminates the enduring importance of democratic expression, common decency, heartfelt compassion, equal rights, religious liberty, and philosophical pragmatism as the ethical scorecard to live by. Humanities students, along with the public writ-large, will be forever enlightened by reading this fine anthology. Highly recommended!!”

—Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University and the author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race.

“Professors Begin and Clanton have expertly collected a number of important readings for us in the areas of Western Foundations, Christian Intellectual Tradition, and American Democratic Foundations. Some are well known; others have been comparatively neglected. But all of these readings should be engaged with as a way to remember where we have come from and preserve some of the most important ideas of Western Civilization.”

—Christian B. Miller, A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University

“In an era when truth is challenged from the highest echelons of politics and business to the lowest depths of social media and the Internet, readings in this anthology of timeless and timely essays and addresses articulate the civic and Christian virtues that nurtured and sustained our nation’s noble experiment in representative government and individual liberty. Read and reflect on these writings as if your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness depend on it.”

—Edward J. Larson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters