The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast Constitution 101: The Progressive Rejection of the Founding
Mar 4, 2026
Ronald J. Pestritto, a constitutional scholar and lecturer, explores how progressive thinkers rejected founding principles. He traces critiques of the Declaration, the living Constitution idea, German intellectual influence, and figures like Wilson, Dewey, and Roosevelt. Listeners hear why progressivism reshaped views of rights and government through historical contingency and reformist thought.
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Reclaim Citizen Rule Through Civic Education
- Reassert citizen rule by pursuing education and civic participation rather than deferring to bureaucratic experts.
- Jeremiah Regan urges listeners to learn, engage, and avoid passively accepting regulatory expert rule as seen in recent events.
Historical Progress Undermines Founding Limits
- Progressives combine historical contingency with a belief in progress to argue limits on government are no longer necessary.
- Pestritto notes they claim human nature and factional dangers have been alleviated by historical development.
Progressives Attack Structure And Principles
- Progressives targeted both the Constitution's structure and the Declaration's natural-rights theory as obstacles to their agenda.
- Pestritto explains progressives wanted regulatory and redistributive powers that the Founders' checks and consent principles blocked.