Liberalism in the United States

This article is about the origin, history and development of liberalism in the United States, including its various forms. For the ideology normally identified in the United States today as liberalism, see Modern liberalism in the United States.
Not to be confused with libertarianism in the United States.

This article is part of a series on
Liberalism
in the United States
Schools
Principles
History
Intellectuals
Politicians
Commentators
Jurists
Parties
Think tanks
Other organizations
Media
See also

Liberalism in the United States is based on concepts of unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of consent of the governed, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the separation of church and state, the right to bear arms,[1] the right to due process, and equality before the law are widely accepted as a common foundation of liberalism. It differs from liberalism worldwide because the United States has never had a resident hereditary aristocracy,[2] and avoided much of the class warfare that characterized Europe.[3] According to American philosopher Ian Adams, "all US parties are liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratized Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism" and principled disagreements about the proper role of government.[4]

Since the 1930s, liberalism is usually used without a qualifier in the United States to refer to modern liberalism, a variety of liberalism that endorses a regulated market economy and the expansion of civil and political rights, with the common good considered as compatible with or superior to the freedom of the individual.[5] This political philosophy was exemplified by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies and later Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society. Other accomplishments include the Works Progress Administration and the Social Security Act in 1935, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This variety of liberalism is also known as modern liberalism to distinguish it from classical liberalism, from which it sprang out along with modern American conservatism.[6]

Modern American liberalism now includes issues such as same-sex marriage, transgender rights, the abolition of capital punishment, reproductive rights and other women's rights, voting rights for all adult citizens, civil rights, environmental justice, and government protection of the right to an adequate standard of living.[7][8][9] National social services, such as equal educational opportunities, access to health care, and transportation infrastructure are intended to meet the responsibility to promote the general welfare of all citizens as established by the United States Constitution. Some liberals, who call themselves classical liberals, fiscal conservatives, or libertarians, endorse fundamental liberal ideals but diverge from modern liberal thought on the grounds that economic freedom is more important than social equality.[10]

  1. ^ Witte, Benjamin. "There Will Be Guns". Those who dream of a gun-free society will have to dream of ratifying a new constitutional amendment; they will no longer be able to ignore that embarrassing provision of the Bill of Rights that they have, for so long, been able to argue does not mean what it so plainly seems to say.
  2. ^ Louis Hartz, The Liberal Tradition in America, (1991) p. 4.
  3. ^ Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1962). "Liberalism in America: A Note for Europeans". In The Politics of Hope.
  4. ^ Adams, Ian (2001). Political Ideology Today (reprinted, revised ed.). Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719060205. Ideologically, all US parties are liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratized Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism.
  5. ^ De Ruggiero, Guido (1959). The History of European Liberalism. pp. 155–157.
  6. ^ Pease, Donald E.; Wiegman, Robyn (eds.) (2002). The Futures of American Studies. Duke University Press. p. 518.
  7. ^ Jeffries, John W. (1990). "The "New" New Deal: FDR and American Liberalism, 1937–1945". Political Science Quarterly. 105 (3): 397–418. doi:10.2307/2150824. JSTOR 2150824.
  8. ^ "Coretta's Big Dream: Coretta Scott King on Gay Rights". HuffPost. January 31, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Deep partisan divide on whether greater acceptance of transgender people is good for society".
  10. ^ Pena, David S. (2001). Economic Barbarism and Managerialism. p. 35.