Liberalism Vs Conservatism

“What is liberalism?” you may be asking. Well, liberalism is an ideology founded on the ideas and beliefs of liberty and equality. There are two branches: classical liberalism and social liberalism. Although there are two branches, both of them generally support freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, free markets, civil rights, secular governments, democratic societies, international cooperation, and gender equality. It is true that both branches support this, however classical liberalism emphasizes liberty while social liberalism emphasizes equality. We can actually trace liberalism back to the age of Enlightenment. John Locke is credited with the actual foundation of liberalism. It was created to reject hereditary privilege, the absolute monarchy, Divine Right of Kings, and state religion. When Locke founded this, he argued that humans have the natural right to liberty, property, and life. This ideology opposed traditional conservatism, was used to overthrow tyranny, and it also replaced absolutism with rule of law and representative democracy.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson reiterates John Locke by saying, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Note how it mentions that we are all created equal. Another document to promote liberalism would be the Bill of Rights. It placed restrictions on government powers, offered protections of liberal thinkers to justify the Revolution, and is actually the oldest liberal-governing document currently in effect