Right vs. Left – Defined
The definitions of the Political Right and the Political Left have changed quit a bit over the last couple hundred years…
Many of the Founding Fathers would have been see as Radical Leftists for their views on personal freedom and deviating from what at the time was considered to be traditional values towards Monarchy. Today, it almost seems as if the left is praising leaders of countries that have big governments with tight controls over the lives of the people.
The terms Left and Right were coined during the French Revolution, referring to the seating arrangement in parliament; those who sat on the left generally supported the radical changes of the revolution… The Founding Fathers fit this description quite well …those who sat on the right supported preserving the institutions of the Ancien Régime (the monarchy, the aristocracy and the established church)… Things the Founding Father fought against.
Of course you could also look at it from the perspective of the french revolutionary leftists being in favor of the creation of a republic, and the rights were in favor of the Monarchy, but that just doesn’t fit with the way things are today, and once again proves my point that the definitions change over time.
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