<p>A separation between knowledge and values has traditionally been accepted as a part of academic Sociology. Such separation has also limited the specific recommendations about action that Sociology can make. Using the specific context of American Sociology, this paper argues that value neutrality is not only harmful to the discipline, but an illusion. This paper uses arguments associated with the beginning of the discipline in America and debates around the concept of positivism in the 20th Century to extract normative values of American Sociology and establish their boundaries. The foundational values identified are Social Coordination, Progress, and Secularism. The values identified related to 20th Century disciplinary debates are Truth, Benevolence and Emancipation. Because Sociologists have developed and used different interpretations of these values, we have a strong cultural repertoire that all of us can use to develop more specific professional identities and to explain the importance of Sociology to those outside it. Yet, these values also represent what we have in common as Sociologists. As a discipline, we need to move toward a more inclusive community if we are to remain relevant to the world.</p>