In W. Cleon Skousen’s The 5000 Year Leap, the clergy’s role is to stress morality from the pulpits, fuel the “flame of freedom,” provide moral stability to the people, and alert citizens to dangerous trends—without getting involved in partisan politics.
This is covered primarily in the section/subsection titled “The Clergy Fuel the Flame of Freedom, Stressed Morality, and Alerted the Citizenry to Dangerous Trends” (around pages 39–42 in some editions). Skousen draws heavily on Alexis de Tocqueville’s observations in Democracy in America to explain how the clergy helped produce and sustain a “moral and religious people”—which the Founding Fathers (and Skousen) saw as an absolute prerequisite for the U.S. Constitution to function.
Points from the Book
- Clergy teach righteousness and moral values as the foundation of a free society: De Tocqueville noted that American clergy stayed out of government and partisan politics (no public appointments, not in legislatures), but they kept “a message of religious principles and moral values flowing out to the people as the best safeguard for America’s freedom and political security.”
- Pulpits “aflame with righteousness” produce national goodness: The most famous quote Skousen highlights is de Tocqueville’s: “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
- Clergy (along with home and school) cultivate virtue generation after generation: The Founders looked to churches to instill the “religion of America”—five universal principles (belief in a Creator, a revealed moral code, accountability to God, life after death, and final judgment). This moral education was seen as essential so that “national morality can prevail.” George Washington warned in his Farewell Address (quoted in the book) that “reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” avalonlibrary.net
- John Adams’ famous statement ties it together: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
In short, Skousen presents the clergy as the non-political moral backbone of society: their job is to keep the people virtuous through religious and moral teaching so that self-government can work. Without this ongoing influence from the churches, the Founders believed the entire experiment in liberty would collapse into tyranny or anarchy. This is part of Skousen’s broader Principle on religion and morality being “indispensable supports” for political prosperity.
The book treats this as one of the key reasons America made its “5000 year leap” in freedom and progress.
10 responses to “How America Initially Had a Moral People”
The author and his mentor are from the Church of the LDS. Not sure if it makes a difference, but it does change their perspective on history.
There is nothing in the book that preaches the LDS (Mormon) religion. If you read the book, you would know that. So what is the point of denigrating the book without any basis?
I didn’t denigrate the book and I’ve read the first few chapters. I did say their beliefs and experiences color how they perceive history. Same way if they were Jewish, Catholic, Muslim or Hindu. Especially since they are discussing morality.
I read the whole book. There was nothing in it to support your assertion.
Ditto
Great book. Some things addressed in each chapter by Founding Fathers are eerily prescient. For example, making political office profitable draws the most dispicable cads.
And the reason that America has so many indicators of societal decay is that the churches have departed from the gospel in many ways. Prosperity gospel, dispensationalism, preaching another Jesus, opining on politics, woke gospel are just a few examples. America will continue to stumble into the darkness without a serious revival.
Good points. People not looking fora way out. They are trying to ignore their responsibility.
This
A good book, came out in the times of Wall Builders , David Barton, I went to a seminar 15 years ago where The 5000 year leap was promoted. Spouse s brother also has good writings.
Too bad politics has become so corrupted by money. I will say it again, fake news, fake news media( Glen Beck, Fox News and all of their radio and tv, fake Christians , fake Jews , fake science, all have taken over our country. Yes, OUR country, not theirs.
God help us