In the first half of the 20th century, both major American parties had a
conservative and a
liberal wing. The conservative Northern Republicans and
Southern Democrats formed the
conservative coalition which dominated the
Congress in the pre-
Civil Rights era. As the Democrats under President Johnson began to support civil rights, the formerly
Solid South, meaning solidly Democratic, became solidly Republican, except in districts with a large number of African-American voters. Since the 1960s, the
Democratic Party has been considered liberal and the
Republican Party has been considered conservative. As a group, liberals are referred to as the left and conservatives as the right. Starting in the 21st century, there has also been a sharp division between liberals who tend to live in denser, more heterogeneous communities and conservatives who tend to live in less dense, more homogeneous communities.[3][4]
Politicians
Senator
Benjamin Wade (1800-1878), Republican Senator from Ohio
Governor
John C. Frémont (1813-1890), Republican Presidential Candidate in 1856
Representative
Henry Winter Davis (1817-1865), Republican Representative from Maryland
Secretary
William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), Democratic Presidential Candidate in 1896, 1900, and 1908.
President
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), Democratic president from 1913 to 1921
Governor and Senator
Robert M. La Follette from Wisconsin (1855–1925), Republican and Progressive (1924 presidential nominee)
Senator
George W. Norris (1861–1944), Republican and independent from Nebraska
Governor and Senator
Hiram Johnson (1866–1945), Republican and Progressive from California
^Adams, Ian (2001).
Political Ideology Today. Manchester University Press. p. 32.
ISBN0719060206. Ideologically, all US parties are liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratized Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism.
^"The New York Times got it right when it said, 'Mr. Sanders, who is hugely popular with liberals, ... made blunt overtures to the party faithful by presenting himself as the heir to the politics and ideals of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King.'", p. 166, "Our Revolution: A Future to Believe in", Bernie Sanders,
ISBN978-1250132925
^"Known for his liberal stance, he founded (1991) the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A reliable opponent of Pres. George W. Bush's administration and the Republican Party, he voted against the Iraq War and distinguished himself in particular for his opposition to tax cuts benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations and to cuts in spending for social welfare programs. He was reelected seven times, usually by wide margins. Encyclopædia Britannica online.
^"Of course, there is one phase of liberalism that I hope to treasure always: its devotion to the search for truth, its insistence on an open and analytical mind, its refusal to abandon the best light of reason.", Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., p.35, "A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches", HarperOne,
ISBN978-0060646912
In the first half of the 20th century, both major American parties had a
conservative and a
liberal wing. The conservative Northern Republicans and
Southern Democrats formed the
conservative coalition which dominated the
Congress in the pre-
Civil Rights era. As the Democrats under President Johnson began to support civil rights, the formerly
Solid South, meaning solidly Democratic, became solidly Republican, except in districts with a large number of African-American voters. Since the 1960s, the
Democratic Party has been considered liberal and the
Republican Party has been considered conservative. As a group, liberals are referred to as the left and conservatives as the right. Starting in the 21st century, there has also been a sharp division between liberals who tend to live in denser, more heterogeneous communities and conservatives who tend to live in less dense, more homogeneous communities.[3][4]
Politicians
Senator
Benjamin Wade (1800-1878), Republican Senator from Ohio
Governor
John C. Frémont (1813-1890), Republican Presidential Candidate in 1856
Representative
Henry Winter Davis (1817-1865), Republican Representative from Maryland
Secretary
William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), Democratic Presidential Candidate in 1896, 1900, and 1908.
President
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), Democratic president from 1913 to 1921
Governor and Senator
Robert M. La Follette from Wisconsin (1855–1925), Republican and Progressive (1924 presidential nominee)
Senator
George W. Norris (1861–1944), Republican and independent from Nebraska
Governor and Senator
Hiram Johnson (1866–1945), Republican and Progressive from California
^Adams, Ian (2001).
Political Ideology Today. Manchester University Press. p. 32.
ISBN0719060206. Ideologically, all US parties are liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratized Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism.
^"The New York Times got it right when it said, 'Mr. Sanders, who is hugely popular with liberals, ... made blunt overtures to the party faithful by presenting himself as the heir to the politics and ideals of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King.'", p. 166, "Our Revolution: A Future to Believe in", Bernie Sanders,
ISBN978-1250132925
^"Known for his liberal stance, he founded (1991) the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A reliable opponent of Pres. George W. Bush's administration and the Republican Party, he voted against the Iraq War and distinguished himself in particular for his opposition to tax cuts benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations and to cuts in spending for social welfare programs. He was reelected seven times, usually by wide margins. Encyclopædia Britannica online.
^"Of course, there is one phase of liberalism that I hope to treasure always: its devotion to the search for truth, its insistence on an open and analytical mind, its refusal to abandon the best light of reason.", Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., p.35, "A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches", HarperOne,
ISBN978-0060646912