Untimely thoughts on history, philosophy, politics, education, and culture

Welcome to The Redneck Intellectual!

I teach political philosophy at Clemson University, I am the Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, and I am the founder of the Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson.

I received a Ph.D. from Brown University, and I have been a visiting scholar at Princeton and Harvard universities as well as the University of London.

My books include America’s Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration that Defined It (2019), Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea (2010), Anti-Slavery Political Writings, 1833-1860: A Reader (2003), The Revolutionary Writings of John Adams (2001), and the award-winning John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty (1998).

In recent years, in addition to my academic articles, I’ve also published essays on a range of topics such as children’s rights, natural-law theory, Marxism, Progressive education, James Madison, constitutionalism, free-market education, liberal education, and the philosophy of Americanism.

Going forward, I hope to publish here at my Redneck Substack essays on a range of subjects that will mostly be on historical, philosophical, political, and cultural topics.

I now do virtually all of my writing outside (weather permitting) in what I call my Redneck Office at the bottom of the driveway overlooking my backyard. The Redneck office consists of two Adirondack chairs lashed together, a cooler, and a fire pit. I usually start my work day sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 am, sometimes a bit earlier and sometimes a bit later. After making my coffee, I get a fire going and then set up my books, notes, and laptop and begin to write.

Welcome to the Redneck Office! Here’s what my world looks like:

I hope you can stick around and share in my intellectual journey. It may be a bumpy ride, so buckle up!