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Liberalism in American Political Thought Liberalism is a force that has produced change from the birth of this nation to the politics of today. Liberal tenets have
the birth of this nation to the politics of today. Liberal tenets have been a basis of thought and action in American politics since well before the signing of the
of life and property suffered in four long years of fighting went tremendous changes in American life and thought, especially a decline in [classical] liberalism
Liberalism is an ideology, or current of political thought, which holds liberty as the primary political value. Liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom
Niebuhr was a towering figure of twentiethcentury religious thought. He is well known and is appreciated for many reasons among American theologians. Niebuhr had
Submitted by kosta1124 on May 7, 2005
Category: Social Issues
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Liberalism is a force that has produced change from the birth of this nation to the politics of today. Liberal tenets have been a basis of thought and action in American politics since well before the signing of the Constitution. Certainly, liberalism has had to transform in order to remain a legitimate force throughout the years. When considering this transformation, one may ask whether or not the ideas and goals of classical liberalism have been lost in the conversion into modern liberalism. In order to answer this, the areas of freedom, the role of government, human nature, and the function of law should be addressed. While this may not be a complete register of change in liberalism, research into these subjects can provide strong indications toward the nature of this transition. Objectively, the evidence suggests that many of the ideas of classical liberalism were either abandoned or changed fundamentally when America entered the modern era.
Freedom
The idea of freedom has been a paramount concern of liberalism throughout history. Consider the classical ideas of religious freedom, the right to resist and the inherent right of every individual to be independent. These were some of the main focuses of classical liberalism in early America.
On religious freedom, seventeenth century minister Roger Williams wrote:
"
All Civil States with their Officers of justice in their respective constitutions and administrations are proved essentially Civil, and therefore not judges, governors or defenders of the spiritual or Christian state and worship." (Volkomer, 50)
This quote is notable because it illustrates the early liberal ideas of religious freedom by stating that government officials have no right to pass judgment on religious practices. In furtherance of his views, Williams founded a colony at Plymouth and contributed to the development of religious tolerance in the new world. Religious tolerance meant...
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