The "Moral Algorithm": Government for the Common Good as America’s Core Value
“Moral Algorithm” of American democracy – holds that political power is legitimate only when used for the common good, to protect the rights and well-being of all.
Introduction:
From its very birth, the United States was founded on a revolutionary moral principle: that government exists for the benefit of the people as a whole, not for the private gain of any individual or group. This guiding idea – which we might call the “Moral Algorithm” of American democracy – holds that political power is legitimate only when used for the common good, to protect the rights and well-being of all. This essay argues that the Moral Algorithm is the core value of the United States, deeply embedded in our national philosophy and founding documents. From Enlightenment thinkers who shaped the Founders’ ideas, to the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, to principles like religious freedom, the evidence is clear that America’s identity centers on government of the people, by the people, for the people. The sections below trace the development of this principle and demonstrate its continued relevance today.
Moral Algorithm is defined as “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity and happiness require it.”
Origins in Enlightenment Philosophy
The American Founders drew inspiration from the Enlightenment – an 18th-century intellectual movement that championed reason, liberty, and human progress. Enlightenment philosophers believed that rational thought and human dignity should guide political life, in contrast to rule by divine right or aristocratic privilege. They advocated ideals such as individual liberty, social progress, tolerance, and constitutional government based on the consent of the governedcourses.lumenlearning.com. Crucially, Enlightenment thinkers argued that the purpose of government was to serve the people’s interests rather than to enrich monarchs or elites.
Several key Enlightenment thinkers shaped American ideas about good government:
- John Locke (England): Locke’s political philosophy was perhaps the most important influence on America’s founders ushistory.org. In his Second Treatise of Government (1690), Locke defined government as a social contract – an agreement in which people grant power to rulers for the sole purpose of securing their natural rights. According to Locke, a legitimate government derives its authority from the consent of the governed and has a duty to protect the people’s fundamental natural rights to “life, liberty, and property.” If it fails to do so, the citizens have the right to overthrow it ushistory.org. These ideas deeply influenced Thomas Jefferson and others when they created the United States, placing the protection of individual rights and the common good at the heart of the nation’s ideals ushistory.org.
- Baron de Montesquieu (France): Montesquieu introduced the principle of separating government power into different branches to prevent tyranny. He observed that concentrating legislative, executive, and judicial authority in one person or body invites corruption and abuse. In his work The Spirit of the Laws (1748), Montesquieu argued that liberty and the public good are safest when power is balanced among branches that can check each other’s ambitions. The American founders took this lesson to heart, creating a system of checks and balances “not unlike the system Americans would later adopt” in their Constitution ushistory.org. By dividing power, Montesquieu’s idea ensures government serves the people generally and cannot easily be hijacked by one faction’s private interest.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Geneva/France): Rousseau expanded on social contract theory with an emphasis on the general will – the collective interest of the people. In The Social Contract (1762), Rousseau famously wrote, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains,” highlighting that legitimate government must be based on the people’s free agreement and must reflect the common good of the community. He envisioned a form of popular sovereignty where laws express the general will and everyone, as part of the whole, is equally committed to the community’s welfare. Rousseau’s democratic optimism encouraged the questioning of absolute monarchy ushistory.org and inspired some American revolutionaries to pursue a government that truly represents all its citizens rather than a select elite.
Enlightenment thought instilled in the founders the conviction that reason and justice should guide the new nation. The old idea of rule by kings for personal glory was rejected; instead, the Enlightenment writers taught that the only moral basis of government is to secure the people’s rights and advance their happiness. As one historian summarizes, “The American founders were well versed in the writings of the philosophes, whose ideas influenced the shaping of the new country,” leading them to create a government based on Enlightenment values of liberty, equality, and justice ushistory.org. In short, the Enlightenment supplied the philosophical blueprint for America’s Moral Algorithm: a government dedicated to the common good.
The Social Contract and Natural Rights
Central to the Moral Algorithm is the concept of the social contract – the idea that government is formed by an agreement among the people, who consent to give it certain powers in exchange for protection of their rights and interests. This theory, developed by thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, was revolutionary in shifting sovereignty from kings to the people themselves. Under the social contract model, government is not an end in itself but a means to serve the people’s needs. If it fails to serve those needs, it breaks the contract and loses its legitimacy.
No one articulated social contract and natural rights theory more influentially than John Locke. Locke taught that all individuals are born with natural rights – rights that are God-given or arise from nature, not granted by any ruler. These include the right to one’s life, to personal liberty, and to own property, among others. People form governments specifically to secure these pre-existing rights. As Locke wrote, the chief end of government is “the preservation of their lives, liberties and estates” – in other words, to protect life, liberty, and property ushistory.org.
Government, in Locke’s view, is thus a trust or contract: the people agree to obey laws, and in return the government promises to act for the common benefit. Importantly, if a government violates this trust – for example, by infringing rights or governing for its own selfish purposes – the people have the right to alter or abolish that government. This right of revolution, as Locke described, is a safeguard of the common good. It ensures that rulers remember they govern only by the people’s consent and only for the people’s sakeushistory.org.
Locke’s natural rights philosophy had a direct impact on the American founding. Thomas Jefferson borrowed heavily from Locke when drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Jefferson’s famous line “all men are created equal” with “certain unalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” echoes Locke’s triad of life, liberty, and property – with “happiness” broadening the concept of property to a more general well-being. The Declaration goes on to declare that “to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” archives.gov.
This is social contract theory in a nutshell: people create governments to secure their rights, and only the people’s consent gives government legitimate authority. Moreover, the Declaration states that whenever a government becomes destructive of the people’s rights and common interests, the people have a right to change or abolish it and institute a new government that will better effect their “Safety and Happiness” archives.gov. These ideas come straight from Locke’s writings ushistory.org. By embedding them in our founding charter, the American revolutionaries proclaimed that the new nation would be governed by the Moral Algorithm – that is, by a commitment to the common good and the natural rights of the people, rather than by the will of any single ruler or clique.
John Adams’ Thoughts on Government: A Blueprint for the Common Good
While many Founders contributed to America’s core values, John Adams was especially vocal in defining government’s moral purpose. In 1776, as independence was being declared, Adams wrote a influential pamphlet titled Thoughts on Government to guide the formation of new state governments. In it, he laid out a vision of government explicitly designed for the common good, balanced in structure, protective of individual rights, and grounded in justice. Adams believed that if the United States was to succeed, it had to establish governments that served all the people rather than reproducing the old patterns of privilege and oppression.
Adams stated the principle of the Moral Algorithm in unmistakable terms: “Government is instituted for the common good, for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.” sec.state.ma.us.
In other words, political power is not a personal possession or a means of self-enrichment – it is a public trust. This line, later incorporated into the Massachusetts State Constitution of 1780 (largely authored by Adams), captures the essence of why the American Revolution was fought. Unlike monarchy or aristocracy, where government often served the monarch’s glory or an elite’s wealth, the American republic would exist only to secure the well-being of the people at large. Adams further argued that because government belongs to the people collectively, “the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government, and to reform, alter, or totally change the same” if it strays from its purpose sec.state.ma.us. This reinforces the idea (also found in the Declaration) that public institutions must continually earn the people’s approval by working for their benefit, or else be changed.
Beyond declaring the common good as the end of government, John Adams also concerned himself with the means of achieving that end. He understood that noble ideals were not enough; the structure of government had to channel power toward the public interest and guard against corruption. Adams famously wrote, “Upon this point all speculative politicians will agree, that the happiness of society is the end of government” teachingamericanhistory.org.
To maximize society’s happiness and justice, Adams advocated separating the powers of government into branches and creating a system of checks and balances. In Thoughts on Government, he warned that if all power were held by one assembly or one leader, it would inevitably abuse the people’s rights (acting for its own interest rather than the people’s) teachingamericanhistory.orgteachingamericanhistory.org. To prevent this, Adams proposed a government with a strong legislature divided into two chambers, an independent executive, and an independent judiciary – each branch balancing the others. This way, no single person or faction could dominate, and laws would be made with broader deliberation and fairness. Good government, Adams wrote, must be “an empire of laws and not of men,” meaning it should operate by impartial rule of law rather than by the whims of powerful individualssec.state.ma.us. By structuring government in this way, Adams aimed to ensure it would “do strict justice at all times” and truly think and act on behalf of the people teachingamericanhistory.org.
In summary, John Adams’ vision set a clear standard: American government should be designed to serve the common good in practice, not just in words. Through his influence on state constitutions and his later service as the second U.S. President, Adams helped ingrain the Moral Algorithm into American governance. He, like many founders, believed that only a government dedicated to protecting rights, balancing power, and promoting justice could secure the young nation’s liberty and prosperity constitutioncenter.org.
Those principles – “happiness is the end of government,” “consent [is] the means,” and “sovereignty of the people” the foundation constitutioncenter.org – remain cornerstones of America’s constitutional system.
The Moral Algorithm in the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is often called the “birth certificate” of the United States, and it clearly articulates the Moral Algorithm as the very justification for America’s existence. Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and adopted on July 4, 1776, the Declaration announced that the American colonies would no longer submit to British rule. But importantly, it didn’t just declare separation; it explained why the break was morally necessary. The core of that explanation is a philosophy of government radically centered on the common good and the rights of the people.
The second paragraph of the Declaration lays out fundamental truths about government’s purpose. It begins: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed...with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In this single sentence, Jefferson encapsulated the idea that no person is born with a superior right to rule others – instead, every individual possesses the same basic rights, and it is these rights that government must respect and protect. He continues: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” archives.gov.
This is a direct affirmation that government exists for the people – to secure their rights – and that legitimate authority comes only from the people’s collective consent. In short, the Declaration asserts that the only valid reason for a government to exist is to serve the common interests of its citizens (their rights to life, liberty, happiness), and it has no justification to exist if it serves merely a tyrant’s interest or oppresses the populace.
Jefferson and the Continental Congress didn’t stop at theory; they applied this test to the British Crown’s conduct. The Declaration goes on to list grievances against King George III, essentially accusing him of violating the Moral Algorithm of governance. One striking example reads: “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” archives.gov.
In other words, the King blocked laws that were needed for the common benefit, putting his will above the welfare of the people. By citing this, the Americans argued that the British government had broken the social contract – it no longer governed for the people’s well-being, so the people were justified in withdrawing their consent. Another grievance noted that the King had attempted to impose laws without the colonies’ consent, violating the principle that just power arises only from the governed’s approval archives.gov. The Declaration’s logic is clear: a government that consistently acts against the public good loses its legitimacy. Thus, Americans felt “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government” and establish new safeguards for their future security and happinessarchives.gov.
By formally stating that the colonies were absolved from allegiance to the British Crown, the Declaration of Independence put the Moral Algorithm into action. It was both an idealistic manifesto and a practical justification for revolution. The enduring significance of the Declaration lies in its bold assertion that the common good and the protection of rights are the only basis of political legitimacy. This assertion became a bedrock American value. Future generations have repeatedly invoked the Declaration’s words to measure whether our nation’s policies live up to its core purpose. In essence, the Declaration enshrined the notion that America itself is founded on a moral commitment: that government of the United States must always strive to secure the rights and happiness of all its people.
The Moral Algorithm in the Constitution
If the Declaration of Independence proclaimed the Moral Algorithm as America’s founding ideal, the United States Constitution was the plan to put that ideal into operation. Written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, the Constitution established the fundamental laws and institutions of the new nation. The framers of the Constitution (figures like James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and others) were keenly aware that lofty principles had to be backed up by a sound governing structure. They designed the Constitution to create a republic that would, by its very framework, serve the common good and prevent the abuse of power for private ends.
The Constitution opens with the famous Preamble, which explicitly states the purposes of the government it creates. Significantly, every purpose listed in the Preamble relates to the well-being of the people as a whole. It begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility…” – these phrases speak to creating a fair and peaceful society for everyone’s benefit. It continues: “…provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…” archives.gov.
Each of these goals reflects the Moral Algorithm: the government’s mission is not to exalt a king or a class, but to protect the people (common defense), promote their well-being (general welfare), and secure liberty for present and future generations. By invoking “We the People” as the source of authority, the Constitution makes clear that the government exists because the people have established it to achieve these common ends. This was a revolutionary concept in the 18th century – power comes from the people below, not a monarch above – and it codified the notion that the U.S. government’s legitimacy rests on serving the public’s interests.
Beyond the Preamble, the entire structure of the Constitution reflects a commitment to government for the common good. The framers implemented Montesquieu’s idea of separation of powers by dividing the federal government into three branches (Legislative, Executive, Judicial) each with distinct powers and the ability to check and balance the others. This was done to ensure no single person or group could seize control of the government for personal gain. For instance, Congress (the legislative branch elected by the people) has the power to make laws and control finances; the President (executive) carries out the laws and is commander-in-chief for common defense, but cannot make laws alone; the independent courts (judiciary) ensure laws and actions stay within the bounds of the Constitution and protect individual rights. This system forces consensus and deliberation – laws and policies must go through many representatives and processes, which helps steer them toward broad public benefit rather than narrow interest. James Madison, in Federalist No. 51, explained that the Constitution’s checks and balances were needed because government officials are human and could be tempted to put their own interest above duty; the answer was to “[enable] the government to control the governed” but also “oblige it to control itself” through internal safeguards, so that it would remain a servant of the people, not the master.
Furthermore, the Constitution was designed to protect individual rights and the rule of law, both key to the common good. Even before the addition of the Bill of Rights, the original Constitution included provisions to prevent abuses – for example, it forbids titles of nobility (preventing any legal aristocracy), requires jury trials for serious crimes, and guarantees that no ex post facto (retroactive) laws or bills of attainder (laws targeting specific people for punishment without trial) can be passed. These limits were meant to ensure that government could not single out individuals or minorities unfairly – it must govern through general laws for the benefit of all. When the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) was added in 1791, it further enshrined rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, and others. This created a legal framework where the government’s actions are restricted to protect the liberties and equal dignity of every citizen. In effect, the Bill of Rights tells the government: “Here is what you cannot do, because it would harm the people’s fundamental interests.” By restraining power and securing rights, the Constitution operationalizes the Moral Algorithm at the highest level.
In the Preamble, perhaps the most telling phrase is the commitment to “promote the general Welfare” archives.gov. The “general welfare” means the well-being of the public at large – not a segment, not a privileged class, but everyone. This concept has guided American governance ever since. From early public projects like roads and post offices, to later efforts like public schools, social safety nets, and health and environmental protections, U.S. governments have often justified action by citing the general welfare. While Americans may debate what policies truly serve the common good, the underlying agreement is that our government’s purpose is to try to serve it. That core value was baked into our Constitution from the start, reflecting the founders’ intent that the republic always aim at the “blessings of liberty” and security for all its citizens – truly a government of the people, for the people.
Religious Tolerance and Separation of Church and State
Another critical way the United States implemented the principle of government for all was through religious tolerance and the separation of church and state. At first glance, religion might seem separate from the idea of “common good versus private interest.” However, in history, when governments have an official religion or favor one religious group, it often leads to oppression of others and serves only the interests of the favored sect. The American founders, influenced by Enlightenment ideals of religious liberty and equality, were determined to avoid the strife and injustice that comes from state-sponsored religion. By ensuring freedom of religion for everyone, they furthered the Moral Algorithm – creating a government that serves all people equally rather than privileging one group’s beliefs.
Enlightenment philosophers like Voltaire and Locke argued strongly for religious tolerance. They saw freedom of conscience as a natural right and believed that civil peace required allowing diverse religious beliefs without government interference or favoritism. The Enlightenment “advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, ... and separation of church and state” courses.lumenlearning.com, recognizing that mixing governmental power with religious authority often resulted in persecution and wars (as Europe had experienced for centuries). James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were two American leaders deeply influenced by this line of thought. They viewed an established state religion as incompatible with a free republic dedicated to equal rights.
Virginia, in particular, led the way in modeling religious freedom as part of the common good. Its 1776 state constitution declared that “all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience.”constitution.congress.gov. This was a remarkable statement for its time, effectively saying that no matter what one’s faith (or lack thereof), one should enjoy the same rights and protections. It meant the government of Virginia existed to secure liberty for everyone, not to uphold the doctrine of one church. However, at that time the Anglican Church was still officially established in Virginia, showing that ideals were ahead of practice. Over the next decade, a fierce debate (led by Madison and others) raged about whether to fully separate church and state by ending the religious establishment. The outcome was the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Jefferson and passed in 1786, which disestablished the Church of England in Virginia and guaranteed freedom of belief to people of all faiths monticello.org. Jefferson’s statute declared it “sinful and tyrannical” to compel someone to support or believe in any religion not of their choosing monticello.org. In Madison’s words, this statute set a “true standard of Religious liberty” and a “great barrier” against any government oppression of the rights of conscience monticello.org.
These developments in Virginia directly influenced the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. When the federal Constitution was drafted, it pointedly refused to establish any national religion. Article VI of the Constitution prohibits any religious test for public office, ensuring that people of all beliefs could serve in government on equal terms. Soon after, the First Amendment was adopted, famously stating, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This created, at the national level, a wall of separation between church and state. The government cannot favor or fund an official religion, and it cannot suppress individuals’ freedom to worship (or not worship) as they see fit. This arrangement serves the common good by treating all citizens impartially regardless of faith. It prevents the government from becoming an instrument of one religious faction’s private interest. Instead, government must concern itself with secular laws and the general welfare, leaving spiritual matters to individuals and communities. By embracing religious pluralism, the young United States avoided the internal divisions that come from state-backed religion and affirmed that every person’s rights and dignity count equally. In short, religious tolerance and separation of church and state reflect the Moral Algorithm in action: the state exists to protect everyone’s rights fairly, not to exalt one creed over others.
Conclusion: The Moral Algorithm as America’s Core Value
From the Enlightenment philosophies that inspired the Revolution, to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, a single unifying principle emerges: American government is fundamentally about securing the common good and equal rights of the people. This is the “Moral Algorithm” at the nation’s core. Unlike the monarchies of old Europe, which aimed to preserve the power of kings or nobles, the United States was founded on the radical ethic that legitimate government must serve all its citizens, not the private interests of a few. We have seen how John Locke’s ideas of consent and natural rights ushistory.org were woven into the very language of the Declaration archives.gov, and how John Adams and others insisted that public office is a public trust, never a personal entitlement sec.state.ma.us. We have also seen how the Constitution’s every element – from the preamble’s promise of general welfare archives.gov to the checks and balances, to the guarantees of religious freedom constitution.congress.gov – was designed to make the common good the lodestar of American governance.
Declaring a principle, of course, does not automatically make it reality. The United States has struggled and fought to live up to its Moral Algorithm over the centuries. There have been times when special interests, factions, or unjust laws have betrayed the ideal that government exists for the people’s benefit. Yet, the core value endures and repeatedly drives progress. Abolitionists invoking the Declaration’s creed of equality helped end slavery. Reformers in the Progressive Era and New Deal era, pointing to the general welfare clause, established protections for workers and consumers against powerful corporate interests. The Civil Rights Movement demanded that America honor its promise that all men and women are created equal in rights and dignity. Even today, political debates often boil down to questions of the common good: Are policies benefiting the many or the few? Are leaders acting in the public interest or for private gain? These discussions show that the Moral Algorithm remains a vital measuring stick in American public life.
In the final analysis, the United States is defined not by blood or throne, but by a shared commitment to an idea – that the authority to govern comes from the people, and that it must be exercised for their collective well-being. This idea is both our heritage and our mission. It is what unites Americans of diverse backgrounds under a common civic creed. When we pledge allegiance to the flag “and to the Republic for which it stands,” we are really pledging to uphold a government that protects liberty and justice for all. The Moral Algorithm, the principle of government by and for the common good, is thus America’s bedrock core value – the North Star that has guided our journey from 1776 to today, and which will continue to guide us as we strive to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”