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Classical Liberalism Vs. Modern Liberalism Essay

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As Thomas Paine once said “I believe in the equality of man”, equality is a progressive ideology that humanity has struggled long and arduously to fully achieve. (PP classical liberalism) According to the Bond textbook, “Ideology is a consistent set of values, attitudes, and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in society.” (Textbook, page 22) The movement that spanned during the creation of the United States was called classical liberalism. What is liberalism? Classical Liberalism could be defined as a movement during the eighteenth maybe nineteenth century that was focused on the unalienable rights of people such as freedoms that are written in the United States Constitution. Conservatism is also an ideal in which everything such as laws, freedoms, and government must remain rooted in traditional values and morals. These major ideals influence the nation deeply because both political parties back one of these ideals. The major differences between modern conservatism and modern liberalism are capitalism versus government regulation, individual liberties versus traditional values, and morals.
Classical liberalism during that time only primarily focused on the rights of the individual such as freedom of speech, press, assembly, and voting. Most of the sovereign nations at that time had little or minimal rights for the common people of the state. The people who were part of the ruling class or bloodline believed that they had the “divine right” to rule. (PP

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