"By liberalism we mean that Americans tend to look first to the individual as the source of value rather than to an imposed dogmatic creed or hierarchy" (American Political Thinking). The way we look at liberalism in America today there are two strands of it. The first strand which is called "Classical Liberalism", is the idea that peoples' property rights, their protection and a free economic market are more important than human welfare. This was the only type of liberalism there was for a while until some people thought that human rights were more important than the latter. This change in thought is called the progressive movement. This movement was created by a rise in the great

Now on the other hand what most people seem to think is the most ingenious part about the Constitution, was not advocated by the Federalists' as much and the Anti-Federalists'. The document I speak of is the Bill of Rights; this is probably the most liberal document in American History. It gives the people the rights, and makes sure that the government cannot take these rights away from the people. The Anti-Federalists were for small government; they wanted the Constitution to be a loose union allowing the states to govern themselves. "The supremacy of people does not secure the rights of individuals and minorities against the majority," (What the Anti-Federalists Were For). The Anti-Federalists were afraid of a majority faction taking power and striping the minority of its rights. They wanted an equal distribution of power; they thought the best way to do that was to have many smaller governments not so tightly bound together by one lawful unit.

The Federalists gave us the building blocks to put together our notion of liberalism, and they also gave us alternative courses to take if liberalism didn't offer a notion that fit into our way of thinking. They put in writing the cornerstone for what we deem to be liberal. They may have had different intentions when they wrote the Declaration, Constitution and the Federalist papers, but we now go back to those documents to debate law using them a our liberal guides to make sure we don't fall off track. We may now do what in our minds is liberal and is not the same idea either Hamilton or Jefferson had in mind, but it is to the same basic principle we look back on when we want verification. The Federalists had a huge and lasting effect on the American thought on the ideas of liberalism.

concentrations of urban wealth. This movement was in opposition to the Laizze Fair attitudes of the Classical Liberals. They did not see the poor as being poor because they were stupid, lazy or inferior, but rather because of an unfair social and economic system. This leads progressive advocates to want to redistribute the wealth among all of the people. It is important to realize that both these ideas are considered to be contained in the general term of liberalism. A good example of it in today's American society is are ever-present political parties. The Republicans consist of ideas that are generally based on classical liberalism and Democrats lean more towards the progressive side. However it is important to remember that both these parties are considered liberal in the sense that they are both based on ideas of liberalism.

The main thing that Puritans, Federalists and Anti-Federalists have in common is that they are American. Now that I've stated the obvious let me explain how they all contribute in different way to the ideology of American political thought. The Puritans Theology forced them to think a certain way. They wanted to like in a virtuous society, but they needed to live a life that would be successful so that they could discover that they were one of the elect. They wished everyone would worship as they did; however their religion shunned such force. They gave us the notions of toleration for all people and an ambition to live the good life. The Federalists gave us our big government, and with that they gave us free commerce, freedom from tyranny, they gave us the notion that all men are created equal. No matter where you come from or who you are you'll have the same freedom to make anything you want of yourself. The Anti-Federalist gave us what the Federalists left out. They gave us our rights, defined them and said that no matter what; no one could take these rights away. They gave us the power over the government; they made sure that we were able to govern ourselves and they gave us one of the most precious gifts we have, freedom of speech. It always goes back to the saying, that I will stand there and listen to a man insult me and de

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