Have you ever wondered where America’s revolutionary ideas really came from? Was it the genius of the Founders? What if the story of the Constitution didn’t begin in Philadelphia in 1776, but in colonial homes, small-town churches, and the stubborn belief that no one has the right to rule another?

In this episode of This Constitution, Savannah Eccles Johnston and Matthew Brogdon trace the folk origins of American self-government. Through the voices of farmers, ministers, and everyday colonists, they uncover how the principles of liberty and equality were not imported from Europe’s philosophers but born from generations of lived experience.

From the self-written laws of the early colonies to the fiery courage of men like Captain Levi Preston, who famously said, “We always had governed ourselves, and we always meant to,” this conversation reveals that America’s Revolution was not just a political one. It was deeply personal.

If you think the Declaration of Independence was the start of freedom’s story, think again. This episode examines how the American spirit of self-rule was already alive, thriving, and waiting to be documented.

In This Episode

• (00:18) Introduction to discussion topic
• (00:55) Captain Levi Preston and folk origins
• (02:13) Colonial self-government traditions
• (04:53) 150 years of self-government
• (06:14) Cultural and political ties to Britain
• (07:16) Influence of American colonies on Britain
• (08:58) Speculation on the empire’s future
• (09:39) Radical ideas: No man has a right to rule another
• (10:32) Sam Whittemore’s story and individual action
• (11:26) “A man can stand up” – Johnny Tremain reference
• (13:41) The principle of equality and self-government
• (14:48) Folk origins and pervasiveness of the idea
• (15:26) Contradictions: Slavery and self-government
• (17:28) Revolutionary spread of equality
• (18:10) Inherited and revolutionary aspects
• (19:25) Washington’s change and sentiment revolution
• (20:27) Twin dynamics: Inheritance and improvement
• (22:20) Is self-government core to American identity?
• (22:28) Tocqueville: Freedom and religion
• (24:19) Pragmatic wisdom in the Declaration
• (24:33) Recap and folk origins summary

Notable Quotes

• (01:43) “What we meant in going for those redcoats was this. We always had governed ourselves and we always meant to. They didn’t mean we should.” — Captain Levi Preston
• (01:57) “The folk origin of the Declaration, if you will, is to preserve the traditional way of life, which is just to govern yourself, just to be in charge of yourself.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (05:41) “It’s tempting to think of revolution as we start off as British colonies and we gradually become American. Actually, the colonies were very distant, very separate, and very independent from Great Britain in the 17th century.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (06:57) “It’s kind of like you’ve been ignored by your parents and now you’re 17 and suddenly they want to be your parents again, and now you’re ready to be independent.” — Savannah 
• (11:19) “No man has a right to rule another. And you actually brought this up before the podcast, this idea of a man’s right to stand up.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (12:34) “We’re fighting so that a man can stand up.” — Matthew Brogdon quoting James Otis
• (22:30) “The distinctive thing that Americans did, that no one had done in republican societies before us, was we combined the spirit of freedom and the spirit of religion.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (24:40) “The idea of self-government is not new with the Declaration. You said earlier that people didn’t read the Declaration and go, oh really? That’s good to know. No, they already knew this.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston