do you think the founding fathers were liberal? an essay im working on please help

[sourpatch45]

well im working on an essay on the topic "do you think the founding fathers were liberal?"

so besides the second ammendment that i feel strongly shows that they were not liberal what are some other issues i could argue that they were NOT liberal.

please help
thank you

[LUVMYSIGP225]

Yes, they were very liberal.

However, that meaning has changed in 200 years. Liberals of today, are by definition, not liberal to the standards of 1776.

[AresXD40]

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. They may have been liberal for their time. Freedom to do what you want? A free country where all men could vote? Seems "liberal" to me. I think that the definition of liberalism has changed over the past few hundred years and no longer means what it used to. Today's liberals seem perfectly content destroying and twisting freedoms, and creating new forms of control. However that is just my opinion.

[rystineusmc0311]

For the time in history that they lived in, they were insanely liberal. You gotta think that at the time, letting the citizens have any say in the government was still a pretty radical idea.

Compared to the world now though, they would probably be considered very conservative.

[jmichna]

Originally Posted by LUVMYSIGP225

Yes, they were very liberal.

However, that meaning has changed in 200 years. Liberals of today, are by definition, not liberal to the standards of 1776.

Agreed.

Sourpatch45,
You better start be defining "Liberal" in the context of 1776 and then draw your conclusions. They were "radical" perhaps, even by today's standards, but "Liberal" may not have even been a political descriptor back in the 1770s.

[ghost--scout]

A helpful reference would be the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist papers; two series about whether or not to include the Bill of Rights with the Constitution or not. Hope this helps!
Federalist Papers: ThisNation.com--The Federalist Papers No. 1
Anti-Federalist Papers ThisNation.com--The Antifederalist Papers No. 1

[nickb]

Main Entry:

lib·er·al·ism

Pronunciation:

\ˈli-b(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm\

Function:

noun

Date:

1819

1: the quality or state of being liberal2 aoften capitalized : a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity b: a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard c: a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties dcapitalized : the principles and policies of a Liberal party

con·ser·va·tism

Pronunciation:

\kən-ˈsər-və-ˌti-zəm\

Function:

noun

Date:

1832

1capitalized a: the principles and policies of a Conservative party b: the Conservative party2 a: disposition in politics to preserve what is established b: a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change ; specifically : such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (as retirement income or health-care coverage)3: the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

[tallmanis67]

Over all Start of the Party System in America:
First Party System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Origin and History of Republicans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)

And some S**t about the Dems:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_States)

Can't go wrong with Wikipedia!!!

[sourpatch45]

ok to clarify do you think they were liberal to TODAYS definition of liberal.

so if they were running for public office now would you refer to them as liberals?

[Edubya]

They had experienced a cast system in the "Old World". They were bound and determined that they would not have the aristocracy controlling their lives. They were very hesitant to give power to any group or anyone. If you read some of George Washington's letters, he speaks of this and he refused to run another term. He was a humble man in spite of his successes as a leader and as a businessman.