Elizur Goodrich

Elizur Goodrich (1734–1797) was a Congregationalist minister and theologian whose work bridged eighteenth-century American religious thought and emerging political philosophy during the Revolutionary era. His treatise *The Principles of Civil Union and Happiness* exemplified the intellectual engagement of New England clergy with questions of social contract theory and the theological foundations of civil society, reflecting the broader Calvinist tradition's adaptation to Enlightenment discourse. Goodrich's contributions to both ecclesiastical polity and political theory positioned him as a significant figure in the development of American Protestant thought during the early national period.