The American Dream: Libertarianism and America’s Idiosyncratic Mindset Throughout the course of U.S. history, the principle belief of one’s right to their own life and liberty has been heavily ingrained into the consciousness and values of America’s population and government. It is a sentiment explicitly noted in the nation's founding documents, and a core aspect of infrastructure to the rights American’s feel entitled to. With this in mind, it is no coincidence that many of the proponents of modern day Libertarianism are Americans, as at the heart of this political movement is a purist interpretation of these freedoms and often an unequivocal loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. Through this lens, what Hospers and other Libertarians define as
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In fact, Hospers himself ran for President of the United States as the first ever nominee of the Libertarian party in 1971. (Veltman) Through acknowledging that the state does have a purpose, Libertarians now run on a political platform seeking to oversee a “limited government”, whose primary duty is to protect individual liberties through an interpretation of the Constitution that strictly “enumerate and protects” the powers people are entitled to. …show more content…
For this, one must look no further than to Jefferson’s second inaugural address, where he speaks about how the revenue garnered by the state through taxes, should, in turn, be re-allocated for the public good: “canals, roads, arts manufactures, education, and other great objects with each state” (Inaugural Addresses) Here, not only does Jefferson advocate for the government authority to use funds for uses that reach beyond personal protections but that these funds should be used on projects for purposes listed nowhere in the Constitution as an individual or collective right. However, this does not denote that Jefferson decided to abandon his conviction on the worth of personal liberties and autonomy in his second term, but rather that he envisioned America to be a nation where these individual freedoms were showcased as a greater community, “not functioning as separate disjointed units.”
In fact, Hospers himself ran for President of the United States as the first ever nominee of the Libertarian party in 1971. (Veltman) Through acknowledging that the state does have a purpose, Libertarians now run on a political platform seeking to oversee a “limited government”, whose primary duty is to protect individual liberties through an interpretation of the Constitution that strictly “enumerate and protects” the powers people are entitled to. …show more content…
For this, one must look no further than to Jefferson’s second inaugural address, where he speaks about how the revenue garnered by the state through taxes, should, in turn, be re-allocated for the public good: “canals, roads, arts manufactures, education, and other great objects with each state” (Inaugural Addresses) Here, not only does Jefferson advocate for the government authority to use funds for uses that reach beyond personal protections but that these funds should be used on projects for purposes listed nowhere in the Constitution as an individual or collective right. However, this does not denote that Jefferson decided to abandon his conviction on the worth of personal liberties and autonomy in his second term, but rather that he envisioned America to be a nation where these individual freedoms were showcased as a greater community, “not functioning as separate disjointed units.”