The
fundamental principles associated with both philosophies, classic liberalism
and classic conservatism, are well-known today, but the attachment to the two
terms has flipped over the years between modern conservatism and liberalism.
This is clearly evident through research and identification of platforms of
political parties from the rise of the two party system until the modern age.
The confusion arises through turbulent political clashes between the
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, the Whigs and Democrats, and the
Republicans and Democrats. Through analysis of these various parties and their
platforms, the definition of classic conservatism and classic liberalism and
which parties cling to which philosophies will become much clearer.
In
all reality, the conversation can start with the Constitutional Convention. The
nation was divided upon the system of government necessary to bring to pass the
vision of the revolution. The Articles of Confederation supported a strong
republic of individual States with a limited federal government to act as a
mediator between the States, a representative to foreign nations on their
collective behalf, and to organize a national army and navy for their
protection. Opponents to this structure of government that favored economic
policies that would benefit the growth of manufacturing through State control
and protectionist tariffs meant to stifle competition to protect the State’s special
interest groups, and pushed to alter the republic towards a nationalized
central government. It is from this point that the classic conservative and
classic liberal can be identified; and thus, their central principles traced
through the history of various political parties.
The
result of the Constitution Convention was the creation of the Constitution,
which was more of a product of the classic conservative; and the Bill of Rights,
which was a product of the classic liberal. The Constitution was ratified only
by a slim majority after the introduction of the Bill of Rights. It is from
this foundation that the two groups can be defined. The champion for the
Federalist Party, Alexander Hamilton, pushed for a financial program that was
reminiscent of the British system of mercantilism, which promoted excise taxes,
high protectionist tariffs, and a strong central bank. The Federalists also
wanted a strong central government to help push his financial program forward,
which would greatly benefit the wealthy manufacturing businessmen.
Additionally, they favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution, so that
it could be altered to fit their ever growing agenda. The Federalist Party and
their political philosophies embody the essence of the classic conservative.
The historian and political scientist, William A. Dunning, observed that
classic conservatives hole true to the old ideals of the “royal and
aristocratic classes of the old regime.”[1]
The classic conservative would rather avoid the need for a constitution or set
of laws that would restrict their ability to rule; and they consider such
things to be “a hindrance to good government” and “the state is not a
mechanism, but an organism.”[2]
The
opposition to this train of thought and practice, is the classic liberal. According
to Dunning, liberalism “fundamentally…meant democracy.”[3]
However, the definition of democracy today is a little different than even in
Dunning’s time when his A Century of
Politics was published in 1904. A modern observer typically identifies
democracy as majority rule, but this was labeled as direct or pure democracy by
the Founders. Looking at Webster’s
Complete Dictionary of the English Language published in 1886, this older
dictionary definition of democracy includes the concept that power resides in
the People, but also that it means “a constitutional and representative
government; a republic.”[4]
Thus, the classic liberal desires a representative government through
republican states. For the Democratic-Republican, their champion was Thomas
Jefferson. Their principles called for limited government, favored an
agrarian-based economy, and strict interpretation of the Constitution. Dr.
Nigel Ashford, the Senior Programs Officer at the Institute for Humane Studies
at George Mason University, has gone further to identify the ten core
principles of the classic liberal, the tenth one on his list already listed,
limited government. In a brief recorded lecture on the subject, he explains
that classic liberalism is “a comprehensive philosophy, a way of thinking about
human society, human life, and the world, which has implications for all of the
major academic disciplines.”[5]
The ten core principles of this this comprehensive philosophy are: “1) Liberty
as the primary political value; 2) Individualism; 3) Skepticism about power; 4)
Rule of Law; 5) Civil Society; 6) Spontaneous Order; 7) Free Markets; 8)
Toleration; 9) Peace; 10) Limited Government.”[6]
Since
the creation of the two party system, the two dominant political parties were
fundamentally split over their individual core principles, which has led to the
many battles of word in the halls of Washington, to actual bloodshed on the
battlefield. The Federalist Party took control of the nation through the
presidencies of George Washington and John Adams, but the election of 1800
brought the Democratic-Republican, Thomas Jefferson into office. Power shifted
between the classic conservative and classic liberal, which affected the direction
of the nation ideologically. The Federalist Party lost favor in the sight of
the nation, especially after the War of 1812, and the dominant political
parties changed their titles.
What
is known as the Second Two Party System, came after the Federalist and
Democratic-Republican parties. In the 1820s, the new Whig Party basically
emerged to carry forth the Federalist classic conservative agenda, while the
Democrat Party favored classic liberal position of the Democratic-Republican
Party. The Democrats wanted a small national government, the end of the central
bank, and economic freedom from federal regulations, such as high protectionist
tariffs. They also opposed what they called internal improvements, but what can
be defined as crony capitalism today. The Whigs supported Henry Clay, who took
Hamilton’s economic agenda and labeled it the American System. They also
supported government involvement to regulate and reform society through a
growth in government and the federal bureaucracy. Like the Federalists, the
Whigs were predominant in the Northern States, while like the old
Democratic-Republicans, the Democrats were mostly in the Southern States. It is
also at this time that the issue of wage labor, slavery, abolition, and
anti-slavery activists intensified in the political arena, which increased the
division between these two groups.
The
Third Two Party System then emerges with the Republican and Democrats on the
eve of the Civil War. These of course are the two predominant political
parties. Other political parties have come and gone where have supported
combinations of political principles of the classic conservatives and liberals.
The Republican Party is formed upon the principles of the Whig Party, as
Abraham Lincoln admitted his political affiliation in a letter to Edward
Wallace on October 11, 1859: “My dear Sir: you brother, Dr. William Wallace,
showed me a letter of yours, in which you kindly mention my name, inquire for
my tariff view, and suggest the propriety of my writing a letter upon the
subject. I was an old Henry Clay-Tariff Whig. In old times I made more speeches
on that subject than any other. I have not changed my views.”[7]
Lincoln supported African colonization of the slaves like his mentor, Henry
Clay, and in 1832 said: “My politics are short and sweet, like the old woman’s dance. I am in
favor of a national bank . . . in favor of the internal improvements system and
a high protective tariff.”[8] Despite the obvious
flaw with slavery and the classic liberal philosophy, the Democrats advocated
more for those principles.
The
victory of the Republican Party allowed for classic conservative principles to
be put into place in American government during the Reconstruction Period, when
there was less influence of the classic liberals in the political system.
However, the classic liberal spirit could not be fully destroyed because of the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The conflict continued between the
dominant parties over time, but the Republicans and the Democrats have some
blending of principles that make it difficult to classify which one is more
conservative or liberal according to the old definition. With further research
and analysis, it could be more accurate to say that the Republican and
Democrats are collectively more classically conservative in their political
principles, where the emergence of the Libertarian Party is taking the charge
as the new classic liberal group. Also the misunderstanding of these classic
terms and their origins in relation to historical and economic events continues
to contribute to the confusion. This might also be the reason for Americans
that tend to resonate with classic liberal principles, feel that they are being
forced to vote between the lessor of two evils of two classically conservative
political parties. However, this is a growing thesis for another essay.
Bibliography
Ashford, Nigel.
"What is Classical Liberalism?" Learn
Liberty. February 11, 2011.
http://www.learnliberty.org/videos/what-is-classical-liberalism/.
DiLorenzo,
Thomas J. “Lincoln’s Economic Legacy.” Mises
Institute. February 9, 2001. http://mises.org/library/lincolns-economic-legacy.
DiLorenzo,
Thomas J. Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re
Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe. New York: Crown Forum, 2006.
Dunning,
William A. “A Century of Politics.” The
North American Review Vol. 179, No. 577 (Dec., 1904).
Webster, Noah. “Webster’s
complete dictionary of the English language (1886).” Internet Archive. Accessed on February 26, 2015.
https://archive.org/details/websterscomplete00webs.
[1]
William A. Dunning, “A Century of Politics,” The North American Review Vol. 179, No. 577 (Dec., 1904):804.
[2]
Ibid, 806.
[3]
Ibid, 801.
[4]
Noah Webster, “Webster’s complete dictionary of the English language (1886),” Internet Archive, accessed on February
26, 2015, https://archive.org/details/websterscomplete00webs.
[5]
Nigel Ashford, "What is Classical Liberalism?" Learn Liberty, February 11, 2011,
http://www.learnliberty.org/videos/what-is-classical-liberalism/.
[6]
Ibid.
[7]
Thomas J. DiLorenzo, Lincoln Unmasked:
What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe, (New York: Crown
Forum, 2006), 124.
[8]
Thomas J. DiLorenzo, “Lincoln’s Economic Legacy,” Mises Institute, February 9, 2001, http://mises.org/library/lincolns-economic-legacy.
