Washington, Jefferson, and Adams all considered themselves liberals, so, why such dislike of liberalism?

Question

Liberalism means...Liberals share a belief in individual rights, free enterprise, representative democracy, and the rule of law. In this sense, almost all Americans accept liberal ideals, so much so that it is easy to forget how revolutionary these ideals were when the American Constitution was written. Jefferson said "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none." All of our founding fathers considered liberalism a foundation of “the grand experiment”, America. In our era, liberalism has been derided to appear weak and elitist, and, our military is used to enter entangling alliances with some. Think liberal, think BIG!

Ideas do not change over time folks. The constitution is still a great idea and document. Truth is still noble. Relativism is dangerous.

Answer 1

Washington= Liberal
Adams= Liberal
Jefferson=Liberal
Madison= Liberal
Monroe=Liberal
Adams=Liberal
Jackson= very Liberal
Van Buren=Liberal
Harrison=Conservative
Tyler=Conservative
Polk=Liberal
Taylor=Conservative
Fillmore= Conservative
Pierce=Liberal
Buchanan=Extremely Liberal
Lincoln=Barely Conservative
Johnson= Barely Conservative
Hays=Barely Conservative
Garfield=Conservative
Arthur=Conservative
Cleveland=Liberal
Harrison=Very Conservative
McKinley=Barely Conservative
Roosevelt=Liberal
Taft=Liberal
Wilson=Liberal
Harding=Conservative
Coolidge=Conservative
Hoover=Conservative
Roosevelt=Liberal
Truman=Barely Liberal
Eisenhower=Barely conservative
Kennedy=Liberal
Johnson=Liberal
Nixon=Conservative
Ford=Barely Conservative
Carter=Barely Liberal
Reagan=Conservative
Bush=Neocon
Clinton=Liberal
Bush=Neocon

Answer 2

Classical liberalism is the general philosophy that opposed the authoritarian governments of eighteenth century Europe and is associated with the founding fathers.

Modern Political liberalism is generally associated with the politics of the Democratic Party in the United States.

Modern liberalism is very different in content from the liberalism of, say, the 1940s or 1950s, and certainly different from the liberalism of the last century.

The sentiments and beliefs that drive it, however, are the same: the ideals of liberty and equality. These ideals produced the great political, social, and cultural achievements of Western civilization, but no ideal, however worthy, can be pressed forever without turning into something else, turning in fact into its opposite. This is what is happening now with modern liberalism.

Not a single American institution, from popular music to higher education to science, has remained untouched.

(Robert H. Bork,)


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Answer 3

I am not a liberal but I prefer liberalism to what the GOP offers. Most conservatives choose to be ignorant about what liberalism is, and are generally happy to adhere to bigotry of one or other group, be they poor, black, Hispanic, gay, Catholic, non-American or other.

Also, the Democratic Party has done the cause of liberalism in the US no good. Most Democrats are not liberal at all. This is also why so many people in the US think liberalism is evil or wrong. In fact, the Democratic Party is generally a party of political prostitutes at this time in US history.

Americans have a choice: vote for war mongering bigots, who will lead the US to hell, vote for political prostitutes who will destroy the US in another way, or vote for a third political party. The latter is the only thing that will save the US from its current path of destruction. The minute the Democrats and Republicans see that Americans are sick of both parties, there will be a radical change. Unfortunately, I do not have much faith in most Americans to turn the USA around.

Answer 4

Jefferson was one of many inspirations of the Libertarian party which I am part of. He preached about individual rights, free enterprise, self government, and non interventionism. These are a few things the Libertarians such as myself value. But that is also the reason we call ourselves the "Classical Liberals," just without the whole slavery thing, because that was just wrong. So majority of the views in the Libertarian party were the liberal views of that time.

Answer 5

I guess the question is, why do you believe that the definition of liberalism 200 years ago is the same as it is today ?

They all owned slaves, is that a liberal trait ?

Do you really think Washington, Jefferson or Adams would support policies like national health care, medicare, medicaid, SS ?

I think they would be shocked at the growth of the federal government.

And its intrusiveness into are daily lives.

Answer 6

In those days, people had to work for a living. Living off of the public trough generation after generation would likely have been frowned upon. No? We weren't taxed to death to support those who won't support themselves.

Liberal had a much different meaning back in those days. There was pride, family unity, worship and a host of other things that are lacking today.

Today's Liberals don't compare to those that you've written and asked about.


Edit: Ideas do not, but people and their expectations of others certainly do.

Answer 7

You are right, idea's do not change over time, but the definition of a liberal has changed. Washington, Jefferson, and Adams would consider today liberals to be treasonous. Totally different from yesterdays values.

Answer 8

Its because the neoconservatives twisted the term and used it in such a negative context. True liberalism is all those things you mention, as well as striving for change and the ability to adapt to such changes. Conservatism, on the other hand, means being resistant to change and maintaining the status quo. It is used to described "traditionalists" even though, historically, traditions never last.

Answer 9

The "liberals" remarkable in mom's basement of their PJs and posting indexed under are no longer bright adequate to examine the missives of uber far-leftwingers like Dowd and Matthews. Sentences with extra advantageous than six words scramble what's left of the brains of the lil darlins. Our maximum useful chief Himself, King Barry the super, ought to come out and say "ok, ok, so I lied! definite, I went to mattress whilst Benghazi became taking place!!! I hectored my government approximately persons investment my opponent with the whole know-how that they might act, faster or later. it incredibly is why i began in on them so early. SO WHAT - tell me what you're gonna DO approximately it, punk!?!", and the lil darlins might nonetheless say "yet...yet...my boy Barry is organic because of the fact the pushed snow!!!" this is basically how they roll.

Answer 10

I would be considered a liberal too, by those standards. Problem is that the left has changed the meaning of liberal into something that it never meant. The founders would be disgusted at what Pelosi and Co. have done with it.