The Whig Ideology's Influence on American Politics

Abstract

As America’s political conscience was forming during the eighteenth century, British political ideas were very influential, especially the Whig Party’s ideology. Whig ideology, shown through the writings of John Locke, John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, and important Whig Party members such as William Atwood, Robert Ferguson, and Henry Hallam, defended ideas such as virtue, sovereignty in the people, and separation of power. The principles inspiring the Revolution reflected the Whig ideology, as did important founding documents written during and after the American Revolution. Whig ideology demonstrates that British political thought remained central to the creation of America’s national identity.