After our conversation with John Winthrop on the first exam, he is now curious to know a little more about

what has happened in American political thought in later times. In particular he is rather confused about the

term "liberalism" because it seems to have so many different meanings. So your task is to trace the evolution

of the meaning of "liberalism" throughout the selection of readings covered since the second exam. You can

break up the explanation in the following ways:

1. What was the basic principle underlying "liberalism" as it was commonly understood throughout the 1800's?

Be sure to explain some of the characteristics of this definition (you can identify some particular figures

associated with this definition if you wish).

2. How did the meaning of "liberalism" begin to change in the early to mid 20

th century? What was this new

meaning based on? What prompted this change and which figure or figures were responsible for this change?

3. What interpretation of liberalism do you think is most compatible with the US Constitutional design, and why?

You may find it helpful in your answer to compare/contrast liberalism with other ideologies that emerged in

American political thought during the period under study here.