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The Founders of the United States and Confucius
United States history textbooks inevitably provide information on the Enlightenment philosophers and
their impact on the American Revolution and the adoption of the Constitution. However, most Americans
are unaware of the fact that Confucius had some influence on political thinking in the late 18 th and early
19 th centuries. There is a sculpture of Confucius along with Moses and Solon on the east entrance to the
Supreme Court building. The sculpture may reflect the impact of Confucian thought on prominent leaders
during the Revolutionary War era and the Young Republic.
In the years preceding the American Revolution, numerous prominent Americans, most notably Benjamin
Franklin, spread Confucian ideas. It is believed that Franklin read The Morals of Confucius as early as his
1724-1726 stay in London. Since his autobiography ultimately focused on the cultivation of personal
virtue, he may well have been influenced by Confucius in his approach. Confucius designed the path for
virtuous perfection – from oneself to one’s family, to the state, and then to the whole of China. In 1737,
Franklin introduced this notion to the colonists when he published some excerpts adopted from The Moral
of Confucius in his Pennsylvania Gazette.
Franklin agreed with Confucius that a man should not only cultivate personal virtues, but also publicize
them to others, including political leaders. In a 1749 letter to George Whitefield, one of the most
influential of all colonial clergy, Franklin believed wrote that knowledge of Confucian ideas could even
foster social harmony.
Confucius yearned to see people, especially rulers, adopt better morals and more compassion. For him,
virtue was the foundation of a good and flourishing empire. Confucius asserted that rulers should behave
appropriately because they would definitely be imitated. During the Revolutionary War, Franklin
promoted this important principle. Confucius believed that law and punishment were the minimum
requirements for order, but social harmony could only be achieved by virtuous behavior. Most of
Franklin’s advice in Poor Richard’s Almanac stresses virtues such as hard work, frugality, and attention
to family.
Many of Franklin’s contemporaries were also influenced by Confucian thought. Thomas Jefferson
believed that Confucianism served as a guide for exemplary leadership. Thomas Paine wrote “that
Confucius like Christ was a great moral teacher.” Benjamin Rush “declared that he had rather see the
opinions of Confucius ‘inculcated upon our youth than see them grow up wholly devoid of a system of
religious principles.’” John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, “criticized the English theologian
Joseph Priestly for ignoring Confucius in his writing, even though Adams thought Christ the greater
moral teacher.” James Madison, the father of the United States Constitution, even hung a portrait of
Confucius in his home.
The above information is from an article, “The US Founders and China: The Origins of Chinese
Cultural Influence in the United States, written by David Wang, Adjunct Professor at St. Johns
University. To access the entire fascinating article, Google Education About Asia, scroll down to
Archives and enter the title of the article and the auth