He was a tobacco farmer. He was a fairly wealthy landowner. He was a slave owner. Although not an evangelical, he did believe in a Christian God. He was an imperialist. He believed in the innate superiority of the white race over both the blacks and the indians. He was a firm believer in a small federal government and strong state governments.
Which of these traits do the lefties claim to be "liberal"?
2007-06-14 04:19:30 · 15 answers · asked by thegubmint 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
In spite of the things he did, he did believe in the classical liberalism, which is a very different and distinct animal from the current "liberalism" which is more leftism than liberalism.
People like Jefferson wanted a very weak federal government, and believed very strongly that people should be responsible for their own selves, without government charity. Hardly consistent with the new leftists who seek to have the government provide them with everything, just as infants seek sustenance from their mommies.
2007-06-14 04:34:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 3⤋
The Founding Fathers, including Jefferson, were extremely liberal for the time period they lived in. The idea of a government by the people for the people, even if at the time they only considered white men the people, was very revolutionary in the late 1700' early 1800's. The Bill of Rights, which Thomas Jefferson demanded be included in the Constitution is a very liberal concept, even by today's standards. Part of the problem here is that many Conservatives and Liberals today do not understand what those titles actually mean or represent. Liberals and Conservatives have latched on to particular parts of the constitution which they approve of and conveinently ignore the parts they don't like. Neither the far right or far left really support the concept of individual liberty anymore, which was the basis of our Constitution. By definition the U.S. is meant to be a liberal democracry, meaning a representational government chosen by the people for the purpose of safeguarding the individual liberty of the citizens of the United States. Neither the so called Conservatives or so called Liberals truly support this concept. They just have different opinions about which liberties they want to eliminate.
2007-06-14 04:41:14 · answer #2 · answered by New Dog Owner 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Thomas Jefferson Liberal Or Conservative
2017-01-19 09:27:13 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well back then liberal wasn't a bad term. The founding fathers were all liberals in that they wanted change, and fresh new ideas in government that hadn't been tried before. They were every bit the revolutionaries the Che Guevara and Emilio Zapata were, only cleaner. Remember, back then wealthy tobacco farmer didn't have the racist capitalist impression it would today. he owned slaves but treated them remarkable well (slept with one apparently). He firmly believed in a separation of church and state (though that's been taken way too far in the two centuries since). As for white superiority.. well what was one supposed to believe at the time? European culture was spreading thoughout the globe rapidly, amazing scientific achievements were coming fast and furious, health care was growing by leaps and bounds, people were living longer, with a better quality of life than ever before, and all of it was due to white male Europeans. They only had one natural conclusion to draw at the time. And as far as a small federal government/strong state government than in itself was a revolutionary "liberal" idea in that every government in history to that point had the exact opposite.
Jefferson even adheared to the modern liberal notion of a smaller,weaker military, and due to Jefferson we almost got buried in the war of 1812, his biggest mistake.
But overall he was one of the better presidents in history.
2007-06-14 04:32:54 · answer #4 · answered by John L 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Conservatives believe in a small and weak federal government? Have you looked at the crap the conservatives will blindly support these days?
Jefferson may have believed in a Christian God, but so do most liberals. Jefferson also believed it had no place in government, as do liberals.
Conservatives these days support a unitary, authoritarian executive. Jefferson was against tyrants and monarchs.
He was a radical liberal, especially for his time.
2007-06-14 04:49:35 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 4⤊ 3⤋
The only thing on that list that makes him conservative is his not-so-firm belief in state rule. I think he flip-flopped on that one, but I'll double check. I don't know who called him liberal, but I wouldn't lump anyone from that time in with the liberals and conservatives of today. Also, he clearly did not believe in white superiority--he attempted to sneak anti-slavery language into the constitution but was stopped--and he was able to sneak it into the Declaration of Independence.
2007-06-14 04:32:40 · answer #6 · answered by wayfaroutthere 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Liberalism was the sole cause of the revolution... to liberate... just like the civil war. Where do you get off thinking he was a conservative? That progression to carve a nation of our own is liberal...thank you Thomas Jefferson
2007-06-14 05:28:23 · answer #7 · answered by Fern O 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
And where do Conservatives get the idea that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican?
"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."
--Abraham Lincoln
That doesn't sound like any Republican I've ever heard. What it sounds like to me is that the Party of Lincoln and it's original doctrines have died.
2007-06-14 06:06:27 · answer #8 · answered by Jeremiah 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who cares what happened in 1792, you better be worrying about whats going on with Republican Party in 2007. For your information Jefferson formed Republican Democrat party lines, it was all up in air, not like it is today. Where your Republican party is breaking all the Constitutions that was written by our framers. He didn't come in and steal 2 elections did in 1792, man you better worried about what is going on today, forget about what all they were doing in 1792. That is just about how far you Cons. are still living in the past , we got a war that should never have been, troops are being killed daily ,get out of the past and do your history today about the 91Q Republican you have let steal 2 elections. Can't even read or write or ride a bike that is your Republican party TODAY.
2007-06-14 05:39:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
He was one of the strongest proponents of keeping the state and education separated from the dominance of the church. Though he was a white supremist, he was not above casual ...and deeper...relationships with his slaves and freedmen. He was even frowned upon...(before the nation made it illegal)....for actually encouraging his slaves to READ and WRITE.
.
2007-06-14 08:48:57 · answer #10 · answered by dreadneck 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋