The Republican’s Ideological Shift from Liberal to Conservative
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The legitimate object of government is to do for the people what needs to be done, but which they can not, by individual effort, do at all, or do so well, for themselves." 130 years later, Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Both of these men were epochal leaders of their party, the GOP. But their ideas about the role of government in our lives as American citizens were drastically different: Lincoln favored a government that had a large reach over its citizens through taxes and government programs, while Reagan sought to eliminate the role of government in society. What happened in the time …show more content…
However, both terms are altogether abstract and their definitions depend upon the context in which they are viewed. After all, as the great liberal historian Arthur D. Schlesinger reminds us in his 1956 essay, Liberalism in America: A Note for Europeans, “Every one, in one mood or another, has claimed to be a liberal or a conservative -- even Franklin D. Roosevelt to be a conservative, even Herbert Hoover to be a liberal. Such words in the American consensus tend to be counters in a game rather than symbols of impassable divisions of principle.” In his 1840 book Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville, a European immigrant who was fascinated by America’s egalitarianism and freedom, examines the principles of what he considers to be an essentially liberal society (America) in contrast to the conservatism of Europe. He says, that in Europe, conservatism has traditionally been tied to feudalism, while liberalism has been tied to socialism and collectivism. America, because of its absence of feudalism is essentially a liberal …show more content…
belongs to the government.” This was merely one of the ways Republicans pushed to expand the role of the government during the Lincoln’s time. In addition, Republicans fielded a huge army (2.5 million men, plus); invented national banking, currency, and taxation; provided schools and homes for Americans through acts like the Homestead Act and the Morrill Land-Grant Acts; and freed the slaves during the civil war. The era of providing for equal opportunity under the Republicans would continue into Reconstruction with the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, all allowing greater rights for black people and extending democracy to them. Because of this, wealth became widely distributed and the economy grew
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The legitimate object of government is to do for the people what needs to be done, but which they can not, by individual effort, do at all, or do so well, for themselves." 130 years later, Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Both of these men were epochal leaders of their party, the GOP. But their ideas about the role of government in our lives as American citizens were drastically different: Lincoln favored a government that had a large reach over its citizens through taxes and government programs, while Reagan sought to eliminate the role of government in society. What happened in the time …show more content…
However, both terms are altogether abstract and their definitions depend upon the context in which they are viewed. After all, as the great liberal historian Arthur D. Schlesinger reminds us in his 1956 essay, Liberalism in America: A Note for Europeans, “Every one, in one mood or another, has claimed to be a liberal or a conservative -- even Franklin D. Roosevelt to be a conservative, even Herbert Hoover to be a liberal. Such words in the American consensus tend to be counters in a game rather than symbols of impassable divisions of principle.” In his 1840 book Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville, a European immigrant who was fascinated by America’s egalitarianism and freedom, examines the principles of what he considers to be an essentially liberal society (America) in contrast to the conservatism of Europe. He says, that in Europe, conservatism has traditionally been tied to feudalism, while liberalism has been tied to socialism and collectivism. America, because of its absence of feudalism is essentially a liberal …show more content…
belongs to the government.” This was merely one of the ways Republicans pushed to expand the role of the government during the Lincoln’s time. In addition, Republicans fielded a huge army (2.5 million men, plus); invented national banking, currency, and taxation; provided schools and homes for Americans through acts like the Homestead Act and the Morrill Land-Grant Acts; and freed the slaves during the civil war. The era of providing for equal opportunity under the Republicans would continue into Reconstruction with the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, all allowing greater rights for black people and extending democracy to them. Because of this, wealth became widely distributed and the economy grew