The author implies that an early American Puritan would likely insist that:
The author says that the textbook writers were of conservative persuasion and believed that political virtue must rest upon moral and religious precepts. He further adds that most textbook writers were New Englander; the texts were infused with Protestant and Puritan outlooks. So we can infer that an early American Puritan would most likely insist that moral and religious values are the foundation civic virtue.