New Book - The Character of Freedom: The Scottish Enlightenment and American Slavery

LAWRENCE, Kan. - July 17, 2026 - PRLog -- The Character of Freedom
The Scottish Enlightenment and American Slavery

The University Press of Kansas announces the publication of The Character of Freedom: The Scottish Enlightenment and American Slavery by Gideon Mailer, an original study of the intellectual foundations of liberty in the age of the American founding. A new addition to the American Political Thought series, this volume offers a compelling examination of how Scottish Enlightenment philosophy and religious thought shaped debates over slavery and freedom in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

In The Character of Freedom, Mailer explores the profound influence of Scottish moral philosophy on the political and religious education of the Founders, tracing how these ideas informed competing interpretations of liberty across the Atlantic world. From Glasgow and Edinburgh to Philadelphia and Princeton, Scottish-founded institutions fostered rich but often conflicting traditions of thought, revealing how Enlightenment ideals could both support antislavery arguments and coexist with the defense of racial bondage—exposing a central contradiction at the heart of the early republic.

Drawing on extensive archival research, Mailer situates these tensions within a broader transatlantic context while foregrounding the critical role of Black Presbyterians, who used these intellectual traditions to advance more radical visions of abolition and influence white reformers. Scholarly yet accessible, the book makes a significant contribution to the study of early American political thought, religious history, and the intellectual origins of abolitionism, illuminating the enduring struggle to reconcile ideals of liberty with lived realities.

Key Features & News Angles:
A Transatlantic Intellectual History: Traces the influence of Scottish Enlightenment thought across Britain, colonial America, and the early United States.

Liberty and Contradiction: Examines how leading thinkers reconciled—or failed to reconcile—ideals of freedom with the realities of racial slavery.

Religion and Philosophy Intertwined: Explores the dynamic interaction between evangelical religion and Enlightenment moral philosophy.

Centering Black Intellectual Contributions: Highlights how Black Presbyterians advanced more radical abolitionist arguments and influenced broader debates.

A Fresh Perspective on the Founding Era: Reinterprets the intellectual foundations of American political thought through the lens of slavery and abolition.

Deep Archival Research: Draws on extensive and previously underutilized sources to offer a nuanced and authoritative account.

Learn more by visiting the University Press of Kansas website: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700642281/