The Case for a Third Founding with James Davison Hunter
- ahirou
- Sep 29
- 2 min read

James Davison Hunter has argued that America may be on the cusp of a “third founding.” The first founding established the Republic in the late 18th century, and the second—the Civil War and Reconstruction—redefined the nation’s meaning around emancipation and union. A third founding, as Hunter frames it, would require an even deeper reckoning with democracy itself: how to sustain a pluralistic society in which differences run deep yet civic bonds endure.
At the center of this vision is solidarity. Unlike mere tolerance, solidarity asks us to recognize obligations to one another that transcend partisan affiliation, identity, or ideology. It is a call to see democracy not only as a structure of rights but as a practice of mutual care. Hunter emphasizes that democratic vitality depends less on laws or institutions alone than on the moral and cultural habits of its people—the willingness to bridge divides, to sustain trust, and to act for the common good.
In an era of polarization, Hunter’s “third founding” is not just a political project but a cultural one. It challenges us to reimagine solidarity as the glue of democracy: a shared commitment that protects diversity while binding citizens to one another in responsibility and hope.
James Davison Hunter is LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory at the University of Virginia. He completed his doctorate at Rutgers University and then joined the faculty of the University of Virginia.
Hunter has written ten books, edited four books, and published a wide range of essays, articles, and reviews—all variously concerned with the problem of meaning and moral order in a time of political and cultural change in American life.
His newest book is Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis which has just won two awards: the Palmer Prize in Democracy, Civil Liberties, and the Rule of Law, and the Edwards Award for Democracy and American Politics. His works have earned him national recognition and numerous literary awards.
Since 1995, Hunter has served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture which sponsors university-wide colloquia, provides doctoral and post-doctoral research support, holds conferences, fields national surveys of public opinion on the changing political culture of late 20th and early 21st century America, and publishes an award-winning journal, The Hedgehog Review: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Culture.
Over the years, his research findings have been presented to audiences on National Public Radio and C-Span, at the National Endowment for the Arts, and at dozens of colleges and universities around the country.
Comments