The article explores the foundational role of natural rights and natural law in early American legal thought, highlighting how the Declaration of Independence framed rights as inherent to human nature rather than granted by governments. While natural law theory waned in influence in 19th-century American jurisprudence, David Hoffman, a Baltimore lawyer and law professor, championed its importance as the basis for legal education and practice. Hoffman emphasized a broad, interdisciplinary approach to legal training, integrating moral and political philosophy, natural theology, and metaphysics to prepare lawyers as guardians of republican government.

Hoffman’s innovative legal curriculum, developed at the University of Maryland’s law institute from 1822 to 1833, was ambitious and methodical, requiring extensive reading over several years. His lectures and writings, including his 1817 book A Course of Legal Study, stressed understanding law through first principles and natural law, linking it to American legal practice. Despite initial slow enrollment, his work gained recognition from prominent contemporaries and contributed to shaping American legal ethics and education, advocating for lawyers’ deep engagement with the philosophical foundations of law.