The U.S. political system has been steeped in religion since its original roots in Puritan traditions, according to James Morone in a lecture about his book "Hellfire Nation" at the Rockefeller Center Wednesday afternoon.
Morone, a professor at Brown University, first discussed two views of American society and the nation's political system -- one a perspective of liberalism and the other a community structure-based approach.
Morone said both perspectives seemed incomplete to him, and added that he instead created his own ideology about American society and politics. His version focused on morality in the American public sphere.
He loosely defined liberalism as the idea of individualism, or the belief that everyone in the nation is born equal. "If you failed it was your own damn fault," Morone said.
A community system is a group of people working for the common welfare of each individual.
Morone said there was also a negative version of a community ideology when looking at the creation of "us versus them" thinking or the polarization of society.
Morone noted there were truths in both of these philosophies, but he concentrated instead on the arrival of Puritans in New England and the social ramifications they have had on the United States.
The Puritans united against the English government, but had no "them" to fight against when they arrived in America, according to Morone. So in order to create "us and them," they saw their society as the "city on the hill," or an example for human kind to follow.
They also had specific rituals within their society to deem a person "saved," "not sure" or even "damned." This also created polarization in the "new world" society.
A citizen's private life suddenly became important in the public sphere as Puritan laws about personal lives were rigidly enforced, Morone said.
The tradition of a person's private life affecting the public is a phenomenon that can still be seen today, Morone said.
Morone emphasized that many political systems, especially those in Europe, went from religious to secular, but the American structure continues to have one religious revival after another throughout history.
"There is this constant effort in our politics to figure out good and bad, with the idea that good and bad have particular political implications," Morone said.
With the notion that America's political system is morally based, Morone said that many things get accomplished when someone or something is demonized. He gave the example of the "crack addicts in the slums" and the ability of this "demon" to divide people and get them energized for action.
The 1960s' civil rights movement, abolition in the 1800s and the 1920s prohibition were all historical political events that Morone applied his thesis towards during an extensive question-and-answer period.
