The Spirit of Philadelphia: A Call to Recover the Founding Principles

by Chris Gibson

Overview

The Spirit of Philadelphia is America’s story told through the history of ideas and a cautionary tale of what happens when a nation’s Spirit goes dormant.

This book proposes a return of the American government to the philosophical roots as articulated by the U.S. Constitution and its Framers. Grounded in realism, the Founders successfully balanced the needs and rights of the individual with those of the collective, creating a system that prioritized both personal liberty and societal order. Author and former Congressman Chris Gibson argues that abandoning the “Spirit of Philadelphia” (essentially the national spirit of cooperation, compromise, and teamwork) enabled dysfunction in government and disillusionment in the constituency. Culminating a comprehensive list of policy recommendations that logically analyze issues in the American political system, the author proposes an agenda aimed at restoring faith and functionality in national institutions and leaders, fostering bipartisan communication and collaboration, and revitalizing civic engagement at the individual level.

Illustrating the changes in the political landscape of America since the Philadelphia convention, this book is an important read for students of democracy, political participation, elections, and voter behavior.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032984308
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/22/2025
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Chris Gibson is the author of two previous books: Rally Point and Securing the State. He earned a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University and a B.A. in History from Siena College. Chris and his wife, Mary Jo, a licensed clinical social worker, have been married for over 28 years, have three adult children, and live in upstate New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section I – Philosophy of Knowledge, Ethics, and Political Theory

Chapter 1 – Why Balance Is Crucial to Knowledge and Virtue

Chapter 2 – The Flourishing Life and Thriving Society

Chapter 3 – Thoughts on Political Theory

Section II – The Rise and Decline of American Common Sense Realism

Chapter 4 – Breaking With the Past

Chapter 5 – The Spirit of Philadelphia

Chapter 6 – Common Sense Realism - “A New Order of the Ages”

Chapter 7 – From Flourishing to Flailing - Why Political Philosophy Matters

Chapter 8 – The Mirage of Utopia

Section III – Recovering Founding Principles & Common Sense Realism

Chapter 9 – Restoring Trust

Chapter 10 – Reawakening the Spirit of Philadelphia

Chapter 11 – Notes for Us - “We the People”

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"Chris Gibson has issued a clarion call to all Americans— regardless of party or ideology— to participate in a much-needed reset of our struggling experiment in self-governance. Gibson first grounds his analysis in a thoughtful and expansive consideration of political philosophy and history as they relate to the modern challenges of our constitutional republic. He then leverages his impressive and diverse experiences in public service to arrive at a systematic program of system- and citizen-centered reforms that would enable us to recover the spirit of cooperation and pragmatism that animated the Constitutional Framers. While we can agree or disagree about specific proposals that he offers with this goal in mind, we can all agree that the status quo is unsustainable... and that this vitally important conversation needs to happen. Chris Gibson has provided us with a timely vehicle and a logical framework for such a national conversation." 

Lewis G. Irwin, Professor of Public Policy and American Government, Duquesne University; and  Major General, U.S. Army (retired) 

“Chris Gibson – former Army Colonel, Iraq combat veteran, recipient of a Purple Heart and four Bronze Stars, Ph.D., three-term congressman, professor, and former college president – is singularly qualified to diagnose our current American malaise and to offer time-honored remedies of compromise, nonpartisanship, and shared sacrifices that date back to our founding and have helped America to heal in the past. A unique diagnosis and course of correction for an ailing America in its fourth century from a rare Renaissance American.” 

Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University and author of The Dying Citizen 

From the Publisher