That Reminds Me of a Time: The Liberal Founding Fathers--A Mythos

For the past few years I've heard many espouse the "liberal" nature of our Founding Fathers. I've scratched my head numerous times as I've read their assumptions and presumptions about the political nature of George Washington and the other British rebels who defied King George and his band of red coats.

According to Webster's online dictionary, liberalism is defined as such:

1. the quality or state of being liberal

2. often 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; specifically: such a philosophy that considers government as a crucial instrument for amelioration of social inequities (as those involving race, gender, or class)

I found this Webster's definition especially enticing, not because I believe in the modern interpretation of those things "liberal," but because so many "liberals" believe in their alleged altruistic approach to government, life, and liberty as "liberal."

First, you will notice that liberalism includes a specific alignment with Protestantism and direct tie to Christianity. It also purports to believe in a self-regulating market and a gold standard. Next, you'll find that liberalism is founded on the belief that the protection of political and civil liberties of all men and women should be adhered to under these principles.

Lastly, liberalism believes in the amelioration, or enhancement, of social inequities.

What I find in Webster's definition of liberalism is one half of what the Founders intended (black men and women notwithstanding).

With that, we must now look at Webster's definition of conservatism:

capitalized

a: the principles and policies of a Conservative party

b: the Conservative party

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:

: the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

Should we look at the Founder's belief in a political system, and their desire to separate Church and State, then it's obvious, at least to me, that they were focused on economic and social anonymity. They also understood the need for strong national borders and the ability to be self-sufficient.

If we were all to base our beliefs on Webster's definition of these two party beliefs, there should be no doubt that we are all liberal/conservatives. Unfortunately, there has been a serious bastardization in both parties, but mostly in the "liberal" or democratic party. Why? They have moved to the hard left...to the party of government sustenance and acceptance of all things once considered immoral or socially unacceptable. When we look at issues like abortion, we must ask ourselves when life truly begins, what self-reliance means, and what a self-reliant/free market really means.

How is it then that liberals think the Founders were somehow liberal? Perhaps at the time Webster defined liberalism they really were! But by today's standards, our Founders were wholly conservative and defined themselves as individual thinkers who wanted little change outside totalitarian control by England and King George (who, by the way, was a true liberal by today's definition).

Our Founders wanted slow change. That's why they incorporated three branches of government into our government's creation. By this standard and definition, they were very....even ultra-conservative. They believed all men (everyone, less blacks and all women....we had to overcome that nonsense, which was a part of their liberal ideology) were created equal, and the system of government they set up should be one of debate and systematic slowness, with little intervention beyond the rights of the individual states. Why is this so difficult for today's "liberals" to grasp?

Fundamental freedoms from an overseeing Big Brother and imperialistic government is what the Founders wanted to escape. Today's liberals want Big Brother to take care of them, rather than being self-reliant and capable.

God bless our conservative Founding Fathers.