List of American liberals

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American liberals are proponents of Modern liberalism in the United States. This ideology combines ideas of civil liberty and equality with support for social justice and a mixed economy. According to Ian Adams, all major American 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".[1]

Economically, modern liberalism opposes cuts to the social safety net and supports a role for government in reducing inequality, providing education, ensuring access to healthcare, regulating economic activity and protecting the natural environment.[2] This form of liberalism took shape in the 20th century United States as the franchise and other civil rights were extended to a larger class of citizens. Major examples include Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal and New Nationalism, Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, Harry S. Truman's Fair Deal, John F. Kennedy's New Frontier and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society.

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[]

  • William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), Democrat from Nebraska and 1896, 1900 and 1908 Democratic presidential nominee
  • President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), Republican president from 1901 to 1909 and 1912 Progressive Party presidential nominee
  • 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
  • Senator Robert F. Wagner (1877–1953), Democrat from New York
  • President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), Democratic president from 1933 to 1945
  • Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882–1947), Republican Mayor of New York City[5]
  • President Harry S. Truman (1884–1972), Democratic president from 1945 to 1953
  • Vice President Henry A. Wallace (1888–1965), Democratic vice president from 1941 to 1945 and 1948 Progressive Party presidential nominee[6]
  • Harry Hopkins (1890–1946), Democratic adviser of President Franklin Roosevelt
  • Governor and Chief Justice Earl Warren (1891–1974), Republican from California
  • Governor Adlai E. Stevenson (1900–1965), Democrat Governor of Illinois and 1952 and 1956 Democratic presidential nominee
  • Mayor Richard J. Daley, Chicago (1902–1976), Democrat
  • Senator Ralph Yarborough, Texas (1903–1996), Democrat[7]
  • Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York (1904–1986), Republican[8]
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973), Democratic president from 1963 to 1969
  • Vice President Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979), Republican vice president from 1974 to 1977
  • Representative Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908–1972), Democrat from New York[9]
  • Vice President Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978), Democratic vice president from 1965 to 1969 and 1968 Democratic presidential nominee[10]
  • Speaker Thomas "Tip" O'Neill (1912–1994), Democrat from Massachusetts[11]
  • President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), Democratic president from 1961 to 1963
  • Representative Bella Abzug (1920–1998), Democrat from New York and one of the founders of the National Women's Political Caucus[12]
  • Mayor John Lindsay, New York City (1921–2000), Republican and who switched to the Democratic Party[13]
  • Senator George McGovern, South Dakota (1922–2012), 1972 Democratic presidential nominee
  • President Jimmy Carter (born 1924), Democratic president from 1977 to 1981
  • Senator Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968), Democrat from New York[14]
  • Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927–2003), Democrat from New York
  • Vice President Walter Mondale (1928–2021), Democratic vice president from 1977 to 1981 and 1984 Democratic presidential nominee
  • Supervisor and Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky (born 1948), Democrat from California, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1994 to 2014, member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 to 1994
  • Representative John Conyers (born 1929), Democrat from Michigan[15]
  • Senator Ted Kennedy, Massachusetts (1932–2009), Democrat[16]
  • Governor Mario Cuomo, New York (1932–2015), Democrat[17]
  • Representative Barbara Jordan, Texas (1936–1996), Democrat[18]
  • Governor Jerry Brown (born 1938), Democrat from California
  • Representative John Lewis (1940–2020), Democrat from Georgia[19]
  • Speaker Nancy Pelosi (born 1940), Democrat from California[20]
  • Representative Barney Frank (born 1940), Democrat from Massachusetts[21][22]
  • Senator Bernie Sanders (born 1941), independent, self-described democratic socialist from Vermont[23][24][25][26][better source needed][dubious – discuss]
  • President Joe Biden (born 1942), Democratic president since 2021, Democratic vice president from 2009 to 2017,[27] Democratic senator from Delaware
  • Senator Paul Wellstone (1944–2002), Democrat from Minnesota[28]
  • Representative Dennis Kucinich (born 1946), Democrat from Ohio
  • President Bill Clinton (born 1946), Democratic president from 1993 to 2001
  • Secretary Hillary Clinton (born 1947), first lady from 1993 to 2001, Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013 and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee
  • Governor Howard Dean (born 1948), Democrat from Vermont[29]
  • Senator Elizabeth Warren (born 1949), Democrat from Massachusetts
  • Senator Russ Feingold (born 1953), Democrat from Wisconsin
  • Senator Amy Klobuchar (born 1960), Democrat from Minnesota
  • Congressman Beto O'Rourke (born 1972), Democrat from Texas
  • President Barack Obama (born 1961), Democratic president from 2009 to 2017
  • Mayor and Secretary Pete Buttigieg (born 1982), Democrat from Indiana
  • Senator Al Franken (born 1951), Democrat from Minnesota
  • Mayor Tom Bradley, Los Angeles (1917-1998), Democratic mayor from 1973 to 1993

Intellectuals[]

Jurists and the law[]

Writers, activists and commentators[]

  • Samuel Gompers (1850–1924), labor leader, founder and first president of the American Federation of Labor
  • Jane Addams (1860–1935), social worker and activist
  • W.E.B. DuBois (1868–1963), Black leader[35][better source needed][dubious – discuss]
  • William Monroe Trotter (1872–1934), civil rights leader and founder of the Boston Guardian[36]
  • Edith Abbott (1876–1957), economist and social worker
  • Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), writer, Democratic leader, First Lady from 1933 to 1945 and wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • A. Philip Randolph (1889–1979), notable leader in American labor movement and civil rights movement[37]
  • Rachel Carson (1907–1964), environmentalist
  • Walter Reuther (1907–1970), leader in American labor movement and civil rights movement[38]
  • Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977), voting and civil rights activist[39]
  • Betty Friedan (1921–2006), feminist and first president of the National Organization for Women[40]
  • Gore Vidal (1925–2012), author
  • Coretta Scott King (1927–2006), Black leader
  • Cesar Chávez (1927–1993), Chicano leader
  • Harvey Milk (1930–1978), gay rights activist[41]
  • Betty Ford (1918–2011), First Lady from 1974 to 1977, feminist and women's rights activist[42]
  • George Soros (born 1930), financier and philanthropist
  • Susan Sontag (1933–2004), writer[43]
  • Gloria Steinem (born 1934), feminist[44]
  • Bill Moyers (born 1934), journalist and political commentator
  • Bill Press (born 1940), journalist and political commentator
  • Jim Hightower (born 1943), columnist, author and activist
  • Faye Wattleton (born 1943), feminist
  • James Carville (born 1944), political commentator
  • Patricia Ireland (born 1945), feminist[45]
  • Alan Colmes (1950–2017), political commentator
  • Arianna Huffington (born 1950), political commentator
  • Lawrence O'Donnell (born 1951), political commentator
  • Michael Moore (born 1954), filmmaker[citation needed][dubious – discuss]
  • Bill Maher (born 1956), comedian and political commentator
  • Keith Olbermann (born 1959), journalist and political commentator
  • Katrina vanden Heuvel (born 1959), journalist and political commentator
  • Tavis Smiley (born 1964), political commentator
  • Cenk Uygur (born 1970), radio host and political commentator
  • Rachel Maddow (born 1973), political commentator[46]
  • Shaun King (born 1979), civil rights activist
  • Linda Sarsour (born 1980), civil rights activist
  • Matthew Yglesias (born 1981), blogger and journalist
  • Dena Takruri (born 1983), journalist and reporter
  • Ezra Klein (born 1984), columnist and blogger
  • Ana Kasparian (born 1986), political commentator

Religious leaders[]

  • Anna Pauline Murray (1910–1985), minister, lawyer and civil rights activist[47]
  • Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) minister and civil rights activist [48][better source needed][dubious – discuss]
  • Arthur Waskow (born 1933), rabbi, political activist and author
  • Jesse Jackson (born 1941), minister and civil rights activist
  • Michael Lerner (born 1943), rabbi and political activist[49]
  • David Saperstein (born 1947) rabbi and political activist
  • Jim Wallis (born 1948), evangelical pastor, founder and editor of Sojourners
  • Al Sharpton (born 1954), minister and civil rights activist[50]
  • Lennox Yearwood (born 1969), minister and activist
  • Welton Gaddy, minister, religious commentator and radio host
  • Harold Schulweis (1925–2014), rabbi and author

Blogs[]

Magazines and publications[]

Think tanks[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Adams, Ian (2001). Political Ideology Today. Manchester University Press. p. 32. ISBN 0719060206. 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.
  2. ^ "The 2016 Democratic Platform". Democratic National Committee. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Graham, David A. (February 2, 2017). "Red State, Blue City". Theatlantic.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "Similarities and differences between urban, suburban and rural communities in America". Pewsocialtrends.org. May 22, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  5. ^ "Fiorello La Guardia: Ultimate American". Rough Diplomacy. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Henry Wallace, America's Forgotten Visionary". February 3, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Labaton, Stephen (January 28, 1996). "Ralph Yarborough Dies at 92; Cast Historic Civil Rights Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  8. ^ Pearson, Richard (March 3, 1986). "Former Senator Jacob Javits Is Dead at 81". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  9. ^ "Remembering Adam Clayton Powell Jr". The New York Times. November 28, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  10. ^ Perlstein, Rick (May 26, 2011). "America's Forgotten Liberal". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  11. ^ Cuomo, Mario (March 11, 2001). "The Last Liberal". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  12. ^ "Bella Abzug". National Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  13. ^ Osnos, Peter (May 25, 2010). "New York Mayor John Lindsay. Remember Him?". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Michael Cohen (June 5, 2016). "RFK and the Dems who revere him: 48 years after Robert Kennedy's assassination, we should remember him in all his complexity". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  15. ^ "John Conyers Biography". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "Ted Kennedy on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  17. ^ "Cuomo Vetoes Death Penalty Seventh Time". The New York Times. March 21, 1989. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  18. ^ Clines, Francis X. (January 18, 1996). "Barbara Jordan Dies at 59; Her Voice Stirred the Nation". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  19. ^ "John Lewis: U.S. Representative, Civil Rights Activist". Biography.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  20. ^ "Nancy Pelosi". Biography.com. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "Barney Frank". Biography.com. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  22. ^ "Barney Frank On the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  23. ^ "Senator Bernie Sanders on Democratic Socialism in the United States – Bernie Sanders". Berniesanders.com. November 19, 2015. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  24. ^ "Most Democrats see Bernie Sanders as liberal", https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/09/democrats-see-biden-and-sanders-as-very-different-ideologically/
  25. ^ "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, ISBN 978-1250132925
  26. ^ "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. Encyclopedia Britannica online.
  27. ^ "20 Years of Change: Joe Biden on the Violence Against Women Act". Time. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  28. ^ Dreier, Peter. "Paul Wellstone's Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  29. ^ "Is Howard Dean too liberal?". NBC News. August 12, 2004. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  30. ^ "In Memoriam: Henry Steele Commager (1902–98)". American Historical Association. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  31. ^ Kirsch, Adam (October 26, 2011). "The Inner Clamor". The New Republic. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  32. ^ "Justice Brandeis and the Birth of Liberal Judicial Activism". Thepublicdiscourse.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  33. ^ Rich, Spencer (January 20, 1980). "William O. Douglas Dies at 81". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  34. ^ "Thurgood Marshall's Unique Supreme Court Legacy". Constitution Daily. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  35. ^ "W.E.B. DuBois on the Value of Liberal Education". Keyreporter.org. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  36. ^ "William Monroe Trotter". Blackpast.org. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  37. ^ "A. Philip Randolph". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  38. ^ "Walter Reuther". AFL-CIO. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  39. ^ "Fannie Lou Hamer: Civil Rights Activist". Mississippi History Now. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  40. ^ "Celebrating Our Presidents". National Organization for Women. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  41. ^ "Harvey Milk". Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  42. ^ "Women: A Fighting First Lady". Time Magazine. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  43. ^ Haslett, Tobi (December 11, 2017). "The Other Susan Sontag". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  44. ^ "Gloria Steinem". Biography.com. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  45. ^ "Patricia Ireland". Biography.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  46. ^ "Rachel Maddow: American Political Commentator". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  47. ^ Schulz, Kathryn (April 4, 2017). "The Many Lives of Pauli Murray". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  48. ^ "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, ISBN 978-0060646912
  49. ^ "Biographical Notes on Rabbi Lerner". Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  50. ^ "Black America doesn't lack leaders: Poll shows 24 percent say Sharpton speaks for them". The Grio. March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
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