American Liberalism Essay - 2235 Words

The idea of Liberalism, especially in the United States, is centered about the unalienable rights of an individual such as the freedoms found in the United States Bill of Rights. In the book, The Strange Death of American Liberalism by H.W. Brands, Brands says that liberalism in the United States could only survive during times of war. The United States retreats into liberalism when there is a war going on and they need the federal government’s assistance. On the other hand, the book, Liberalism: The Genius of American Ideals by Marcus G. Raskin, argued that there was no escaping from liberalism. According to Raskin, liberalism has not faded into history like many people think. Liberalism is important in the United States because it drives†¦show more content†¦To help recover the nation, the New Deal was designed to bring the economy back to its pre-depression levels. It achieved that by deficit spending, dropping the gold standard, and increasing foreign trade. To re form the nation, the New Deal made it possible for the economy to be stabilized. The reform measures that President Roosevelt proposed included the NIRA or the National Industrial Recovery Act, the regulation of Wall Street by the SEA or Security Exchange Act, the AAA or Agricultural Adjustment Act that was intended for farm programs, the FDIC or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that dealt with insurance for bank deposits, as well as the Wagner Act, which dealt with labor-management relations. Then liberalism in the United States was also expanded through President Lyndon B. Johnson during the 1960s with his Great Society. Liberalism under President Johnson became a form of social liberalism, which meant that President Johnson thought that liberalism should include social justice. So he expanded liberalism through the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Community Reinvestment Act, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He transferred liberalism into neoliberalism, meaning that it became more focused on the business aspect of the nation that would help determine the political and economic prioritiesShow MoreRelatedWorld War II And American Liberalism Essay1119 Words   |  5 Pages World War II changed the outlook of American society and economy. Alan Brinkley discusses these changes in his article, World War II and American Liberalism. Brinkley discusses the events that brought on these changes, and what was the result of said changes on the American society. Before and duri ng the war, American liberalism started to realize what its main mission was at the time. American demographics were drastically changed due to World War II. 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