What does it mean to be a liberal-thinking person? According to Webster’s Dictionary (2009), such a person is “…broad-minded, marked by generosity, and not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways.” Conversely, the conservative-thinking person tends to “…be cautious, nonprogressive, and usually tries to preserve what is already established.” However, it is very possible that a person who is most often conservative will do something that is considered quite liberal or vice-versa. For instance, former President Richard Nixon was generally considered conservative, yet his approach with China was based on liberal-minded thinking. And President Franklin Delano Roosevelt,  a known liberal-minded thinker, took a very conservative and non-liberal minded approach by succumbing to public pressure when he authorized the internment of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans--without due process--in internment camps throughout World War II.

 

In our book, Why Liberal Thinking Changed America: The Evolution of Justice in Our Nation’s History, the words “liberal” and “conservative” are not used in a political sense, such as he or she is a member of the Democratic Party, Liberal Party, Republican Party or Conservative Party. Instead, they are used as Webster defines these words above.

Before we go any further, we need to discuss the word “justice”. Referring again to Webster’s Dictionary, one meaning of the word “just” is “conforming to a standard of correctness; with what is morally upright or good”. “Justice” means “the administration of what is just; the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action.” Aristotle said that “In justice is all virtues found in sum.”

 

Justice is probably one of those words that is easier to describe than to define. So, let’s take a simple example of justice and then come back to a bit deeper thought afterwards. A mother has two children, a son who is 8 years old and a daughter who is 5 years old. She tells the 8 year old to break a candy bar in half and give one half to his 5 year old sister and keep the other half for himself. By now, you probably know where the story is taking us. The odds are very high that her older son will break the bar unevenly and, making the first choice, he will take the larger piece for himself. We’d say this is unfair or unjust. Now, let’s change the scenario a little. Suppose the mother were to tell the older son to break the candy bar in half and let the 5 year old make the first choice. The odds are extremely high that the older child will attempt to break the candy bar as close to one half as possible, for obvious reasons. The first scenario works well for those with power; the second scenario makes for a level playing field. The latter scenario was named “The Veil of Ignorance” by John Rand. According to Rand, “A system is fair only if you would endorse it in advance without knowing how your interests are served”. For instance, suppose a group were to set out to bring slavery back and attempt to get a law passed by Congress to do just that. However, the group will not tell anyone which group of people will be the slaves. Could it be that all people with blue eyes will be the slave group, or that all people whose last name begins with the letter G will be the slaves, etc.?   Now, let’s say that you are in favor of slavery, but, of course, not for your group to be the slave group. You will probably not vote in favor of the law because it’s possible that the group you belong to will be the group tapped to be the slaves. So, according to Rand, this is the Veil of Ignorance. Since you don’t know how your interests will be served, you have opted to keep things just as they are, with no one being slaves. As you read these 15 chapters, and if you oppose any of the movements in these chapters, use the Veil of Ignorance for you and your loved ones, and ask yourself “Which way would I vote, if I didn’t know how my interests would be served?” As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”

 

Historically, documentation has shown that liberal thinkers and liberal movements have initiated the important social, economic, educational and medical changes in American society. Further, it has always been the conservative thinkers and conservative movements that have proven to be the major obstacles to these significant social changes. In fact, we challenge the conservative thinkers of America to write a similar book proving that they, the conservative thinkers, have led the way rather than the liberal-minded thinkers. These changes, which have proven to provide millions of children and adults with medical, educational, health, environmental and financial protections, have sometimes taken over 250 years because of the resistance and protection of the status quo by conservatives. However, once passed into law, the liberal–minded forces behind these movements have been proven effective. These liberal thinkers and liberal movements had the foresight and perseverance to keep on fighting to secure these benefits for those less fortunate than others.   

 

The great movements of which we speak include the Civil Rights Movement, The Woman’s Suffrage Movement and the Abolitionist Movement to eliminate slavery, to name just a few. With every movement there were those who were absolutely for the movement and those who were absolutely opposed to the movement and many who remained neutral. This might be a good time to quote Dante: “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral.”   When we look carefully at who was for and who was against each movement, it becomes very clear that those who opposed the movement were basically conservatives who had a vested interest in the status quo, wanted no changes, and were quite proud of it. Those who supported the movement were basically liberal-minded visionaries who sought what they believed was justice, and were equally quite proud of it. For example, factory owners who hired young children at incredibly low wages and with abominable working conditions vehemently opposed the Child Labor Act. With this issue, many of the parents of these children also opposed the Act because the children were helping to support the family and the parents did not want their children going to school. Those who supported this movement were basically liberal-minded humanitarians of their day who sought justice and protection for these children. Through the years, each generation had its groups who fought for justice and its groups who opposed the justice that we now take for granted. In some cases it took many years before justice was served (Abolition of Slavery) and in other cases justice was won relatively quickly (Sherman Anti-Trust Act).

 

In his book, Integrity, Professor Stephen Carter, of Yale University’s Law School, said that a person of integrity should study every side of an issue, then form his own conscience about the issue, then speak out and act on the issue. As you will see in the chapters that follow, the leaders of these great American movements did exactly as Professor Carter is now strongly urging.

 

Why Liberal Thinking Changed America: The Evolution of Justice in Our Nation’s History was written for two reasons. First, it was written to help give support and courage to those people with a liberal mind-set and to embolden them to step forward for a good cause, and to fight for justice, as our forefathers did. Second, it was written to summarize, for those who will listen, that it was the liberal-minded person who always took up the cause for justice. We will demonstrate this in every single chapter of this book. It is never an easy road to make major changes for the sake of justice in any country and most times there are very powerful people who will stand in the way of justice. In fact, it often happens that those who take up the cause of justice are often assassinated, whether it be in America (Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.) or in other countries (Mohandas Ghandi). And we must never forget that George Washington, the rabble-rousing liberal thinker of his generation, who took up the cause of American Independence, had only 40% of the American colonists supporting him, while 40% of the populace were acting neutral and 20% of the people were for the King of England.

How difficult is it to convince those who oppose such just movements to reverse themselves and support these just movements? Nearly impossible! For instance, how can anyone justify slavery? It was wrong in the past, it is wrong today, and it will always be wrong. It is inherently evil. Yet, there once were millions of conservative Americans who tried to justify slavery. That has all changed because behavior was forced to change through the law. Another example would be a woman’s right to vote. Millions, including many women, felt strongly that a woman’s place was in the kitchen and that she should not be burdened with the concerns of governing a nation. But once women got the right to vote, attitudes slowly began to change about their right to vote, and eventually the entire issue became a non-issue. This supports the general axiom of psychology and human nature; change behavior and attitude changes. 

 

Maybe the brilliant theologian Thomas Aquinas hit the nail on its head hundreds of years ago. When asked to explain the Trinity, Aquinas allegedly said that “For those who believe in the Trinity, no explanation is necessary, and for those who do not believe in the Trinity, no explanation is possible.” Over the past few hundred years, each new generation of liberal-minded Americans could probably have used a similar type of response when being attacked by ultra-conservatives.

 

There are new causes being fought today, but we are not sure whether justice will prevail on these issues. One example of an injustice that is still being fought today, and is also one of the greatest injustices in our nation’s history, is the history of the treatment of the American Indian. We see nothing on the horizon

that says there is justice for what we “Americans” did to them during the years following 1492. It is one of our greatest blemishes. Will the American Indian receive his just due? As with so many other movements in the past, only time will tell.

       

Why Liberal Thinking Changed America: The Evolution of Justice in Our Nation’s History  takes us from the 17^th through the 20^th centuries. Enough years have passed to give us the hindsight to see whether the liberal movements of those years were won or lost.

                                                                                                

We, the authors, feel that the United States of America is the single greatest nation in the history of mankind. We believe that the principles of the American Constitution make it the beacon of democracy for others to follow and emulate. Unfortunately, there have always been those who tried to subvert these principles and use our Constitution for self-serving purposes at the expense of many innocent people. We are grateful to those who stood up and screamed for justice; they were men and women of extraordinary integrity.   Why Liberal Thinking Changed America: The Evolution of Justice in Our Nation’s History is dedicated to all those screamers.

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

  

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

Ø Overview of the Topic

Ø How the Movement Began

Ø Liberal Thinking Behind the Movement-Who Sought Change to Overcome This Injustice?

Ø Conservative Thinking Against the Movement-Who Wanted to Keep the Status Quo?

Ø Why It Was Won Through Liberal Thinking

Ø Commentary

 

 

1663-1865                      Chapter 1: Abolition of Slavery

                                       (But we fed them well!)

 

1775-1783                      Chapter 2: The American 

                                       (An impossible situation!)

 

1836-1938                     Chapter 3: Child Labor Laws          

                                       (Let it be; my children help support our family.)

 

1845-1970                     Chapter 4: Environmental Protection 

                                       (The environment has done very well for all

                                        these years without our interference.)

 

1848-1919                     Chapter 5: Woman’s Suffrage (The Right to Vote)

                                       (We men will never share our power with you women.)        

 

1848-1930                     Chapter 6: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

                                       (No one’s gonna tell ME what to put in my mouth.)

                                   

1866-1939                     Chapter 7: The Labor Union Movement

                                      (Mr. Henry Ford will send in his goons shortly.)

 

1877-1970                     Chapter 8: Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)

                                      (Watch what you’re doing and you won’t get hurt.)

 

1879-1935                     Chapter 9: Social Security Act 

                                       (Socialism!)

 

1890-1914                     Chapter 10: Sherman Anti-Trust Act

                                       (We created those monopolies and they’re ours.)

 

1904-1947                     Chapter 11: Integration of Major League Baseball

                                       (Baseball is a white man’s game!)

 

1942-1963                     Chapter 12: The Equal Pay Act of 1963

                                      (Why should women get equal pay; they don’t have families to support.)

 

1945-1965                     Chapter 13: Medicare

                                      (More Socialism!)

 

1954-1975                     Chapter 14: Special Education and the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Mainstream Education

                                      (Why bother?)

 

1955-1964                     Chapter 15: Civil Rights Act of 1964

                                      (It’s asking for too much, too soon.)