Political science as an academic discipline took shape in the United States between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by establishing boundaries with history, law, and moral philosophy, fields that had traditionally studied political phenomena. This chapter traces the process of its emergence as an independent discipline, leading to the creation of a model that would soon gain global influence while also experiencing significant internal divisions. In their pursuit of recognition as professionals and experts, the emerging political scientists adhered to the dominant scientific paradigm, where positivism and methodological rigor were considered non-negotiable. This commitment quickly made the relationship with political theory problematic. Not only did political theory resist strict methodological constraints, often moving freely beyond established disciplinary boundaries, but the responses articulated by American political theorists in the 1940s also revealed a detachment from contemporary realities. The subsequent attacks by the behavioral revolutionaries would push political theory to the brink of academic marginalization. In response, a defense of political theory emerged, one that, as will be explored in later chapters, remains closely connected to the rhetorical tradition that this work seeks to recover.