In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith speaks with Professor C. Bradley Thompson, political philosopher at Clemson University and Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, about the growing ideological assault on capitalism and why the defense of liberty must begin with a moral defense of property rights.

Thompson explains that America’s constitutional order rests on the natural rights tradition articulated by John Locke and embraced by the Founding Fathers — life, liberty, and property. Far from being merely an economic system, capitalism is rooted in the principle of self-ownership and the moral right of individuals to pursue their own happiness without coercion.

The conversation explores how socialism represents not simply an economic alternative, but a fundamentally different moral vision — one that subordinates individual rights to collective claims. Thompson argues that the modern debate over capitalism has been lost on moral grounds, as critics claim the ethical high ground while defenders focus only on economic efficiency. He makes the case that freedom, property, and self-interest rightly understood are inseparable pillars of a just society.

Smith and Thompson also discuss the historical roots of anti-capitalist ideas, from antebellum pro-slavery theorists to modern progressivism, and why today’s ideological battles are deeply connected to America’s universities.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why private property is a moral right, not just an economic principle
• How Locke and Jefferson shaped America’s understanding of liberty
• Why socialism challenges the moral foundations of freedom
• The connection between self-ownership, self-interest, and human flourishing
• Why universities are central to today’s ideological conflicts

Read More: Watch new episodes of Roots, Rights & Reason weekly at http://AmericasFuture.net

Learn more about: Snow Institute: Exploring Capitalism's Morality

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In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith speaks with J. Michael Waller, Senior Analyst for Strategy at the Center for Security Policy, about the return of the Monroe Doctrine and America’s renewed focus on hemispheric defense. Waller explains how the Monroe Doctrine, first articulated in 1823 by President James Monroe and shaped by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, became a defining principle of American national security—warning foreign empires to stay out of the Western Hemisphere. The conversation explores how that doctrine evolved through the twentieth century, from European power struggles in the Caribbean to Cold War conflicts and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Smith and Waller examine why maritime security, trade routes, and strategic chokepoints like the Panama Canal remain vital to U.S. interests today. They also discuss the growing influence of China and Russia in Latin America and the Arctic, including Greenland’s rising strategic importance. The episode argues that the Monroe Doctrine is not an outdated concept, but a permanent pillar of American defense and diplomacy.

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Episode 29- Ordered Liberty: America’s Founding Idea

In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith speaks with Peter Berkowitz, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, about classical liberalism, natural rights, and the philosophical foundations of the American founding.

Berkowitz explains how America’s core principles: human equality, unalienable rights, and limited government, were forged through biblical teaching, classical philosophy, and modern political thought. Drawing on thinkers such as John Locke and Montesquieu, he clarifies the true meaning of classical liberalism and distinguishes it from today’s expansive, bureaucratic model of government.

The conversation explores how freedom developed not only through ideas, but through centuries of social change, including religious reform, commerce, education, and the spread of literacy. Berkowitz challenges the claim that America was inevitable, arguing instead that the American Revolution was a conservative revolution designed to preserve inherited liberties rather than overturn moral and political traditions.

Smith and Berkowitz also examine modern threats to ordered liberty, including administrative overreach, emergency powers, and an education system increasingly hostile to America’s founding principles. Despite these challenges, Berkowitz argues that the United States remains the freest and most pluralistic great power in history, and that preserving it requires renewed civic education and constitutional understanding.

This episode defends the American experiment in ordered liberty and explains why classical liberalism still matters.

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New episodes drop every Wednesday at 3 PM ET.

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