Would it be reasonable to say that America's founding fathers were liberals?

Question

I hate to lump people into strict categories, but I often hear many (not all) on the far right claiming that they are the only true patriots, and that liberalisim is almost some kind of mental illness.

But if you look at Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Adams, etc, they all seemed pretty liberal/progressive to me. They radically changed the status quo. They bucked the old system in favor of one with much greater freedoms for each individual. They championed the idea of human equality. The leaders weren't even Christians, but rather Deists and Unitarians.

If they HAD to be categorized, I would have a hard time describing them as conservative rather than liberal.

What do you think?

Not to make this a religious debate.. but read your history. Jefferson, Franklin, Paine... these people were not Christians. Self stated, and fully documented. Jefferson compiled his own version of the new testament that removed all deific references. Paine was vehemently anti-christian. Even Washington's own minister claimed he was a Deist. Their references to god were in the Deist sense of the word. As in god = nature... not god = jehovah.

Answer 1

Yeah, the ideas and principles that our founding fathers used to build this country were liberal in relation to status quo in place in Europe. But those ideas were also built off of governments in place over a thousand years before, democracy in Greece and later a republic in Rome.

Much has changed in the 230 years since the Declaration of Independence. The Replican party started with Lincoln, and the idea of ending slavery was quite liberal at the time.

When I think of liberals today the first things that come to mind are:

The proclaimation by many liberals that America is evil and some (huhm, Jane Fonda) are willing to betray their country and those who serve to protect it.

Abortion

Freedom of speech no longer covers nativity scenes but does cover photographers treaspassing to take pictures and write sleazy stories about those in the public eye.

More upon more government programs that resemble socialization, those who work hard are now expected to also work for those that don't want to.

Advocate judges

The ACLU

More rights are offered to prepetrators than to victims.

How liberals have no concern that our borders are being invaded and it's adverse effects on the economy, quality of education, and safety for those areas that get the bulk of it.

Less freedoms for individuals, examples, in the way they raise their kids or protect their property

Among many other thoughts.

The fact is, while the ideas that are the foundation of our country were liberal in the 18th century, our founding fathers would cringe at some of the things they'd see going on today.

Answer 2

George Washington, John Adams, were more conservative. Ben Franklin and James Madison were more moderate, Thomas Jefferson was more Liberal. None could be called "Liberal" by today's standards, im just judging objectively by the time, by today's standards I think Jefferson would be a Libertarian. They were Radicals on the position of independence, but you have to understand the colonies had always had representative government, so the freedoms you say they promoted were already in place. Yes, they were very religious, if you don't believe this you know nothing of the founding fathers. Either way you cannot compare them by today's standards!!



God knows Thomas Paine was not a founding father, though he did right a couple of good essays. Yes he was a devout atheist, he was also a very broken man. Either way it doesn't matter to me what there religion was, but to say that the majority of them were not devout Christians is just fooling yourself. Yes Franklin was a christian just in a different mold.

Answer 3

The founding fathers came way before modern conservatism and liberalism so it is hard to compare. It also matters what genre of conservatives and liberals you are talking about. If you mean generic conservatives and libs than I would have to say slightly more conservative. Also it depends on who. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison hated the federal government and said that the real power should be in the states. Washington, Adams and Hamilton said we needed a strong federal government. Its kind of hard to compare but Washington matches with conservatism because he wanted a strong central government while maintaining a small size. The backbone of conservatism is smaller government, The backbone of liberalism is larger government.

Answer 4

Well, they were certainly liberal from the British point of view. In todays terms, no they were not. As for the religious angle, you had a mixed bag. The times were much more conducive(sp?) to accepting a supernatural, whatever the perception might have been. Today, people are by and large at least indifferent to the spiritual, all the way to agressively anti God.
As far as challenging the staus quo, they sure upset the apple cart.

Answer 5

Why do liberals hate u.s.'s founding fathers plenty? it is not "real" classic liberals who hate the founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson replaced right into a Liberal. that's rather this trash that comes from the radical left who hate u.s. and the founding fathers and the U. S. as an entire that they on the radical left desire to break from interior of. the radical Left are human beings i could call Communist, Socialist, Marxist, Anarchist, Nihilist, Progressives. that's this scum who hate this u . s . a . and choose to alter each and every little thing approximately u.s. a hundred%. that's this scum who's attempting to brainwash and indoctrinate American youthful human beings, that u.s. is a bad u . s . a . which you will desire to have no longer something yet contempt for and is no longer properly worth saving. I see the radical left as a traitor against the U. S.. A relatives enemy that must be dealt with with the help of people who love the U. S. and who have faith interior the ideals and ideas this u . s . a . replaced into in keeping with that have been written with the help of and given to us with the help of super adult men who have been human and flawed.

Answer 6

Liberal is a relative term.

How many of them had slaves? It's unthinkable today.

They never considered women voters, either.

Nor do I think they would have wanted us to police the world.

While I admire the point you're trying to make, there's a fine line between what the Founding Fathers intended for our country and the envelope being pushed to where it is.

I've certainly never made the claim that 'liberalism' is a mental illness. There are issues we won't ever agree on, more than likely. What I do cherish is the right of both sides to engage in debate. This is something we should never, ever take for granted.

Answer 7

You really can't compare them to liberals or conservatives of today.It's not that they were against religion,but freedom to worship or not worship as you choose. The Library of Congress had an expo on the Founding Fathers,where they had documents that showed Washington fasted and held prayer meetings,Jefferson allowed prayer in government buildings and so forth.

Answer 8

Every American pictures themselves to be patriots. Do you know any American that would say they are not? no.

Conservatives are Holier than thou, liberals are turn the other cheek...and again...and again...and again.

Patriots are willing to put it all on the line for America. ALL on the line, everything they have, could have, might have, and have already lost, up to and including their lives. Anything less, makes you less of a patriot.


EDIT:

On second thought...I think if you could bring the founding fathers back to life right now, today. They would be absoutely ASHAMED of what this country has become. Think about it. There were basically 2 schools of thought then, and the constitution and bill of rights was the COMPROMISE that they came up with. If they sat down and red the volumes of crap and saw the leigons of employees that make up the federal bureaucracy they would be appalled.

Just another thought

Answer 9

Not in the sense that liberals today are. No, they would be appalled. Here is a quote from one of them.

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

James Madison

The fourth president of the United States of America, AKA "The Father of Our Constitution.

Edited to add: You seem to be suggesting that liberals aren't religious.

Answer 10

they were liberals at the time...and I mean that's the only way you can really judge...

I think average people can only be so progressive relative to the time they are in and still be successful... and they certainly were progressive at the time...