James Sargentelli
D- Period
President Franklin D. Roosevelt is commonly thought of as a liberal, and President Herbert C. Hoover as a conservative. The validity of these claims, is strong and true.
During the time of the Great Depression, a liberal was usually about "political equality, free speech, free assembly, free press, and equality of opportunity." Liberal is directly derived from the word "liberty" which means freedom. A liberal is someone who thinks government can solve problems, and someone who trusts government. They believe in more government spending (such as social plans) and support raised taxes, knowing the money taken away will do the country good.
Conservatives believe in directly the opposite of what liberals do. They believe heavily in the free enterprise system (private ownership).
The conservative Lassiez-faire (Hands off) policy was introduced in a book The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. This policy shows what conservatives believe in. They do not like change; they are strong believers of traditional values. It is thought money should be spent on defense, not social programs. In conclusion, they want government to stay out of their lives.
President Herbert Hoover, a strong believer in traditional values, he can definitely be described as a conservative. Hoovers "hands-off" policy dealing with the Great Depression shows this well. He believed in the business cycle and that the country would pull its self out of the depression.
“It is not the road to more liberty, but to less liberty. Liberalism should be found not striving to spread bureaucracy but striving to set bounds to it… The very essence of equality of opportunity and of American individualism is that there shall be no domination by any group or combination in this republic, whether is it business or political” (Document A. Source: Candidate Herbert Hoover, speech, New York October 22, 1928) “It is not an issue as to whether people shall go hungry or cold in the Unites States. It is solely a question of the best method by which