Podcast Summary: Constitution 101—The Progressive Rejection of the Founding
Hillsdale College Podcast Network Superfeed
Lecture 8 / March 4, 2026
Host: Jeremiah Regan & Juan Davalos
Guest Lecturer: Dr. R.J. Pastrito

Overview

This episode of Hillsdale College’s Constitution 101 series, titled “The Progressive Rejection of the Founding,” discusses how American Progressives of the late 19th and early 20th centuries criticized, reinterpreted, and ultimately rejected the fundamental principles of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Dr. R.J. Pastrito takes listeners through the Progressive critique of the Founding, key intellectual figures of the Progressive movement (like Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt), and explains how their ideas continue to shape American government today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Progressivism

(00:08–04:35)

• The Founders saw citizenship as active: citizens needed to be virtuous, informed, and participate in governance; government’s duty was to protect life, liberty, property on the principle of consent.
• Progressives believed modern life had become too complex for average citizens; experts and credentialed bureaucrats should decide for society rather than relying on citizen rule.
  • Quote: "You need someone with a PhD from Johns Hopkins to tell you what is best for yourself. ... You don’t really get a say in that." — Jeremiah Regan (01:26)
• The shift described as the transition from "the rule of citizens to the rule of the bureaucrat."
  • Quote: “Yeah, yeah, that's a perfect description of the transition from the rule of citizens to the rule of the bureaucrat.” — Juan Davalos (02:30)
• Reflection on recent history (e.g., 2020) as a possible turning point in the public’s trust in bureaucratic experts.
  • Quote: "No bureaucrats don't know what's best for me. I can decide that for myself and those around me." — Juan Davalos (03:28)

What Is Progressivism?

(04:35–07:30)

• Progressivism is defined as an argument to move beyond the principles and structures of the Founding, expanding the national government's scope to meet new, modern circumstances.
• Progressives believed the original principles were contingent on the needs of the late 18th century and were outmoded by historical change and social evolution.
  • Key Insight: Progressives had deep faith in historical progress and saw government as becoming ever more capable of achieving societal goals, shedding the limitations imposed by Founders wary of tyranny.

The Progressive Critique of the Founding

(07:30–21:28)

• The Founders’ principles (social compact, natural rights, consent) were treated by Progressives as outdated—relevant only to their time.
• Progressives believed the Constitution’s checks, balances, and restrictions impeded necessary government reforms (e.g., welfare state, economic regulation, wealth redistribution).
  • Quote: "They understood that the idea of the Constitution’s structure was to limit government, was to channel consent, was to be careful in how quickly... public opinion could be translated into actual policy." — Dr. R.J. Pastrito (09:49)
• Woodrow Wilson urged Americans not to emphasize the "preface" of the Declaration of Independence (the timeless principles of equality and rights).
  • Quote: "'If you want to understand the real Declaration of Independence, do not repeat the preface.' ... That stuff about natural rights, that stuff about the permanent purposes of government, that's bygone." — Dr. R.J. Pastrito paraphrasing Woodrow Wilson (16:55)
• Contrasted with Abraham Lincoln, who celebrated the Declaration’s universal, timeless principles, Progressives regarded them as historical artifacts, not enduring truths.

Rights: From Natural to Social

(23:35–29:30)

• Frank Goodnow (first president of the American Political Science Association) contrasted the Founders’ idea of rights as God-given and permanent, with the Progressive view: rights are conferred by society and the state, subject to change as public needs shift.
  • Quote: “Man is regarded now throughout Europe as primarily a member of society and secondarily as an individual. The rights which he possesses are... conferred upon him not by his creator, but rather by the society to which he belongs.” — Frank Goodnow, cited by Dr. Pastrito (24:15)
• John Dewey criticized the Founders for lacking a “historic sense”; instead of seeing principles as eternal, Dewey argued liberalism (and thus rights and the role of government) must adapt to the needs of the age.
  • Quote: “[The Founders] put forward their ideas as immutable truths, good at all times and places. They had no idea of historic relativity…” — John Dewey, cited by Dr. Pastrito (26:58)

Intellectual Roots & the “Living Constitution”

(29:30–35:41)

• Progressivism in America was deeply influenced by German political thought, specifically ideas of organic, evolving constitutions.
• Many leading Progressives (e.g., Wilson, Dewey) were educated in or influenced by German universities like Johns Hopkins, which brought these ideas stateside.
• The “living Constitution” thesis: Government isn't a fixed mechanism but a living organism that must adapt, echoing Darwin rather than Newton.
  • Quote: “The trouble with the theory is that government is not a machine, but a living thing. ... It is accountable to Darwin, not to Newton.” — Woodrow Wilson, cited by Dr. Pastrito (32:20)

Policy Outcomes: The New Conception of Democracy & Rights

(35:41–43:54)

• Progressives sought not just equality of rights, but material equality—requiring government management and even redistribution of property.
  • Key Example: Theodore Roosevelt’s "New Nationalism" speech, advocating for a “social view of property.”
• Wilson’s essay "Socialism and Democracy" argued that, for Progressives, democracy means the community's rights trump those of the individual; only practical, not principled, limits on state power exist.
  • Quote: “No line can be drawn between private and public affairs which the state may not cross at will. ... Men as communities are supreme over men as individuals. Limits of wisdom and convenience to the public control there may be; limits of principle, there are, upon strict analysis, none.” — Woodrow Wilson, paraphrased/cited by Dr. Pastrito (40:00)
• Upcoming lectures will examine concrete reforms inspired by these ideas, especially in the New Deal and Great Society eras.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You need someone with a PhD from Johns Hopkins to tell you what is best for yourself. ... You don’t really get a say in that.” — Jeremiah Regan (01:26)
• "If you want to understand the real Declaration of Independence, do not repeat the preface.” — Woodrow Wilson, cited by Dr. Pastrito (16:55)
• “The trouble with the theory is that government is not a machine, but a living thing. ... It is accountable to Darwin, not to Newton.” — Woodrow Wilson, cited by Dr. Pastrito (32:20)
• “Man is regarded now throughout Europe as primarily a member of society and secondarily as an individual. The rights which he possesses are... conferred upon him not by his creator, but rather by the society to which he belongs.” — Frank Goodnow, cited by Dr. Pastrito (24:15)
• “No line can be drawn between private and public affairs which the state may not cross at will. ... Men as communities are supreme over men as individuals.” — Woodrow Wilson, cited by Dr. Pastrito (40:00)

Major Timestamps

• 00:08–04:35 | Framing the Founders’ and Progressives’ view of citizenship and government
• 04:35–07:30 | Why study Progressivism in a course on the Constitution?
• 07:30–21:28 | How Progressivism critiqued the Founding and the Declaration
• 23:35–29:30 | Rights: from natural to social, via Goodnow and Dewey
• 29:30–35:41 | German influence and the birth of the “living Constitution”
• 35:41–43:54 | Progressive democracy: the community over the individual, material equality, and the blueprint for future reforms

Conclusion

Dr. R.J. Pastrito’s lecture makes clear that the intellectual revolution of the Progressive Era fundamentally altered American understandings of rights, government, and the Constitution. Progressives’ embrace of historical contingency, expertise, and a living constitutional framework represents a sharp departure from the Founders’ commitment to enduring principles of liberty and self-governance. This episode provides a thorough, critical examination of these developments, setting the stage for future discussions on the practical consequences of the Progressive legacy in American law and politics.