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Difficulty: MediumPhilosophical Foundations of the American Revolution

Source: Reverend Jonathan Mayhew, sermon in Boston, 1750

'It is blasphemy to call tyrants and oppressors God’s ministers. . . . If rulers are a terror to good works, and a praise to the evil, they are then the ministers of the devil, and not of God; and to resist them is a duty, not a sin. . . . No government is to be submitted to, at the expense of that which is the sole end of all government—the common safety and utility of society.'

The ideas expressed in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following concepts that shaped the philosophical foundations of the American Revolution?

  1. The social contract theory, which argued that government authority is conditional and that citizens have a right to resist rulers who violate the common good.Answer
  2. B
    The economic theory of mercantilism, which held that colonial governance must prioritize enriching the mother country through state-directed trade.
  3. C
    The Federalist defense of the Constitution, which emphasized the need for a strong executive to maintain order and prevent popular rebellions.
  4. D
    The political view that resistance was premature because Parliament had not yet enacted the Coercive Acts to punish the colonies.

Answer

The correct answer is the social contract theory, which argued that government authority is conditional and that citizens have a right to resist rulers who violate the common good.
The correct option is the social contract theory, which argued that government authority is conditional and that citizens have a right to resist rulers who violate the common good. Mayhew's sermon directly mirrors John Locke’s theory of the social contract. Locke argued that government is created by the people to protect their natural rights, and when a ruler becomes a tyrant and violates those rights, the contract is broken, making resistance a moral duty rather than a sin.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source text and identify its main argument.
The author, Jonathan Mayhew, argues that rulers who become tyrants are not God's ministers and that resisting them is a duty rather than a sin because the sole end of government is the common safety of society.
This step establishes the core message of the text before linking it to historical concepts.
2
Relate the text's argument to 18th-century philosophical and intellectual contexts of the American Revolution.
Mayhew’s ideas closely parallel John Locke's social contract theory, which holds that political authority is a trust given by the people, and rulers who violate this trust forfeit their authority, justifying resistance.
This step identifies the specific philosophical concept that matches the source's claims.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to identify the option that describes this concept and eliminate incorrect options.
The social contract theory option correctly identifies this idea, while the other options describe mercantilism, post-revolutionary constitutional arguments, or incorrect timelines of British taxation.
This step confirms the correct answer by contrasting it with the distractors.

Key Concept

Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution

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