Though perhaps less well known to the pantheon of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Rush nonetheless holds an essential place in America’s formative epoch. Rush’s Selected Writings, both in their form and content, are emblematic of the generation to which he belonged. He, as many of his peers, was truly liberally educated. The value he placed on the workings of the mind is evident through the care he employed in expressing himself. This attitude enabled him to speak and write with confidence, being qualified as he was to put forth his opinion and beliefs.