Liberalism is an ideology or philosophy, and it is a collection of a series of schools of thought with freedom as its main political value. Liberals pursue a social system that protects the free development of individuals; Advocate restricting the use of government power by law, ensuring free trade and developing market economy; Emphasize an open and transparent political system and protect the rights of ethnic minorities. Early liberals opposed feudal systems such as theocracy, hereditary system, aristocratic system and state religion system. Their basic human rights are the right to life, freedom and property. However, as Eric Fonner, an American historian, pointed out, liberalism is not as simple as people think, or it is difficult to define it with abstract political concepts. This is not a permanent idea. On the contrary, it is a complex and developing idea, and its development history is not over yet. Even the definition of liberalism itself is full of disputes and differences, and its connotation varies from place to place. Therefore, as the core concept of western political philosophy, liberalism should be analyzed in a historical and dialectical way. This paper attempts to explore Thomas Jefferson's liberalism by combining history with theory, in order to see the big picture from the small and play a role in attracting jade.

Second, the characteristics of Jefferson's liberalism thought

As an outstanding representative of American liberalism in the18th century, Thomas Jefferson's liberalism thought originated from the enlightenment thought of Britain and France, especially John Locke's liberalism thought, which is beyond doubt. In addition, Jefferson's first reading materials in his youth and youth were classical works, and he repeatedly said that reading classical works was his greatest interest, which was still very strong in his later years. Ancient Greek and Roman thinkers have made great achievements in spiritual civilization: their attention to personal moral cultivation, their love for beauty, their attention to freedom of thought, their love and pursuit of knowledge, and their attention to human dignity (within the scope of free men, of course) have all had a great influence on Jefferson. Socrates' spirit of pursuing truth, Horace's pastoral poems full of life art and Tacitus' political wisdom all inspired Jefferson, and even Jefferson's writing style was deeply influenced by classical works. Therefore, Jefferson not only accepted the baptism of the advanced ideas of Britain and France in the 17 and 18 centuries, but also absorbed nutrition from the classical culture, learning from others' strengths and embracing all rivers. This not only makes him stand out in front of a group of conservatives, but also makes him stand out among his liberal peers (such as james madison). This is reflected in the content and style of the Declaration of Independence drafted by him.

The Declaration of Independence clearly reveals liberal principles such as natural human rights and people's sovereignty. He wrote:

We hold the following truth to be self-evident: all men are created equal, and the Creator endows them with inherent inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order to protect these rights and establish a government among the people, the legitimate power of the government is obtained from the consent of the ruled; If any form of government harms this purpose, the people have the right to change or abolish it and establish a new government ... [1]

With its unique style and wording, this article embodies Jefferson's liberalism in the following three aspects.

First of all, it embodies the spirit of equality in Jefferson's liberalism. Since modern times, it seems that liberal thinkers have not deliberately emphasized the principle of equality. Even since Tocqueville, liberal thinkers have been talking about the harm of equality and the contradiction between equality and freedom. As a result, there is a saying in academic circles: "Liberalism is a theory about freedom, and socialism is a theory about equality." [2] Classical liberals emphasize that legal and formal equality is the only acceptable equality, and oppose the government to achieve social equality and human material equality in any way. This is because they think that people have different natural endowments, and if everyone is given the opportunity to develop freely, the actual achievements between people will be different. In this way, there will be a paradox between equal rights and actual equality: if everyone is treated equally and given equal opportunities and rights, the actual situation will be unequal; And if we pursue the equality of the actual situation, the only way to go is to give people different rights and treat people in different ways. On this point, Jefferson disagreed with most American intellectual elites at that time, even with his close political partner james madison. Madison believes that people's abilities are unequal, so people's property acquired by their own abilities should also be unequal, and the government should also protect property inequality caused by unequal abilities. Jefferson refuted Madison's point of view and put forward the theory that human nature needs equality. In his letter to Du Pont de Nemore, he pointed out that although the ability endowed by nature to individuals is unequal, people's personal needs are equal, and the inequality in property caused by the inequality in ability is contrary to justice and morality. Jefferson certainly opposed egalitarianism, but he advocated that society has the responsibility to compromise and reconcile the principle that personal ability inequality leads to property inequality with the principle that personal natural needs are equal. Therefore, it is not Jefferson's mistake to replace Locke's "property right" with "the right to pursue happiness" in the theory of government, but because Jefferson believes that the pursuit of happiness is everyone's nature, not the privilege of the haves. Jefferson pointed out in his letter to Madison that the validity of patent rights and copyrights should not exceed 19 years at most. In this regard, Garry Wills, a famous American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner, pointed out in Inventing America: "Jefferson was deeply influenced by the historicism of the Scottish thinker hutcheson. Unlike Locke, he did not think that property rights were the' natural rights' of the former society and politics." [3] Wells also found that in a letter written to the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights during the French Revolution, Jefferson suggested that "property rights" be removed from the list of "non-transferable rights". In the era of Jefferson's life, economic liberalism was popular in Europe and America, and its theoretical basis was the British classical political economy represented by Adam Smith. The core of economic liberalism is freedom of contract, freedom of trade and freedom of operation, which demonstrates the "eternity" and "rationality" of the capitalist market economic system. Edmund burke, a British Conservative Party, and alexander hamilton, an American Federalist, took this as a criterion. Undoubtedly, property right is the cornerstone of this economic system, so Locke emphasized that it is a natural right to safeguard the interests of the British bourgeoisie that rose in the late17th century. In this respect, Jefferson did the opposite. He regards the right to pursue happiness as a natural right and excludes property rights from natural rights. This shows that he is not defending the property rights of the middle class, but the right of all people, including the poor who have no property, to pursue happiness. This breaks through the limitations of Locke's theory of natural rights, reflects people's demands and aspirations into the theory of natural rights, thus endowing the theory of natural rights with a strong democratic color and developing it creatively. As Parrington thought, this means that Jefferson "completely divorced from the Whig property theory left by Locke to the British middle class" [4]. In Jefferson's view, the purpose of private property is to provide basic economic security for everyone, so that everyone can participate in public affairs independently and equally, without being attached to others. In other words, it is built for an orderly society with equal participation. In Jefferson's view, if property rights are raised to the status of natural rights, it will encourage the arrogance of big property owners and make them use this theory to defend their usurpation and profiteering. For example, Hamilton's political philosophy is to enhance the consistency between the interests of the rich and the interests of the country. Jefferson believed that in a free country, although people can enjoy full freedom, the unlimited expansion of individual freedom will inevitably lead to social and economic inequality, and eventually there will be a disparity between the rich and the poor. On the one hand, the rich are rich, on the other hand, the poor are poor. He deeply feels that if things develop to this point, the so-called democracy will lose its meaning. In view of this, Jefferson believed that a democratic Republic must support democracy with its economic base. So he replaced "property right" with "the right to pursue happiness", which shows that he is most concerned about the happiness of the broad masses of people, not the property of the rich. Jefferson's resolute struggle with Hamilton's fiscal policy in the 1990s from 65438 to 2008 was to combat the plundering of the people by big speculators and bankers. Therefore, Bernard Ma Yao correctly pointed out that Jefferson "tried" to reconcile the principle of free individualism with the principle of social equality. Leonard Levy also made a similar comment. He wrote: "Others oppose freedom and equality as if there were irreconcilable contradictions between them. For Jefferson, freedom and equality complement each other. " [5] This also constitutes the biggest difference between Jefferson and classical conservative liberals.

Secondly, this passage in the Declaration of Independence embodies the essence of humanism in Jefferson's liberalism. On the issue of outlook on life, Jefferson accepted Epicurus' theory and admitted that he was "an Epicurean". Epicurus believed that "happiness is the purpose of life", but the happiness in his mind was not "eating, drinking and having fun" or indulgence, but that there was no physical illness or mental trouble. He believes that only good health and inner peace-"the best" is happiness. In the Jefferson era, capitalism was in the ascendant, money worship prevailed, and the concept of "rational economic man" was respected and abused, which led to vulgarization and conservatism of social and political life. In a word, people are valued, and the lofty significance that the world should have is lost. Jefferson used "the right to pursue happiness" instead of "property right" because property is a thing after all, and the right to pursue happiness is shared by everyone and involves people. Jefferson attached importance to "people" and despised "things" on the issue of natural rights, which fully reflected his humanistic spirit. What is particularly commendable is that Jefferson saw its serious drawbacks in the early days of capitalism: money dominated people and people lost the value of independent existence. In Jefferson's mind, man is above everything else, man is the goal, and everything else, including property and government, is just a means of serving people. In addition, there are different degrees of happiness. For human beings, what is more important is spiritual happiness. Jefferson opposed materialism and the supremacy of material enjoyment. What he cherishes is noble and elegant spiritual enjoyment: cultivating nature, appreciating art, hanging out with like-minded friends, reading quietly, enjoying family reunion, and so on. He pointed out in particular that mutual love and consideration among family members is the greatest happiness. In his letter to a friend, he wrote: (I am) I seek happiness in the arms and happiness of my family, in the communication with my neighbors, in books, in the health activities of my farmland and my family, in the fun and joy brought by the blooming of every bud, in every breeze I blow, in a completely free rest or activity, in thinking or rest that depends entirely on my own time and action. [6]

Jefferson's view of happiness not only made people at that time, but also made later radical liberals (such as bentham, the representative figure of utilitarianism) far behind.

Thirdly, it also embodies Jefferson's thought of respecting, sympathizing with and attaching importance to the people. Freedom and democracy are two completely different concepts, so are liberalism and democracy. The jurisdiction of the force, so as to provide more space for individuals; Democracy emphasizes that the masses or the majority of the masses control or even exercise government power. The former involves the scope of government functions and powers, while the latter involves the question of who will exercise government power. Jefferson was not only an ardent liberal, but also a staunch people's sovereign. In his view, people's control over their government organs is the standard to measure whether a government is a * * * system. This is obviously different from Madison's view, which is called "the father of the American Constitution". Madison believes that a government is a * * * government as long as it is directly or indirectly elected by the majority in form. Jefferson was closer to Rousseau in grasping the essence of democratic spirit, but he accepted Montesquieu's thought and advocated decentralization in the means of realizing democracy. He emphasized the supreme authority of the parliament, which represents the interests of the people, and struggled with the conservative tendency of the Supreme Court for a long time during his presidency. Jefferson's democratic thought is especially reflected in his insistence on the people's revolutionary rights. Locke and other thinkers have also discussed the rights of the people's revolution. During the bourgeois revolution, political mobilization and theoretical preparation were made for the bourgeoisie to seize power. However, after the establishment of bourgeois rule, many bourgeois thinkers quietly put away this banner and turned to emphasize stability, order, law and citizens' obedience to the new government. At this time, the sacred "right" in their hearts is actually only the right of the proletariat to get rich freely in the capitalist market economy. But what is commendable is that Jefferson always held high the banner of the people's revolutionary right, and he enthusiastically praised the French Revolution. Amid the shouts and curses of federalists against Xie Si's uprising, he openly expressed sympathy for the insurgents. He wrote: "Let them take up arms! What does it matter if you lose a few lives in a century or two? The tree of freedom must always be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is the natural fertilizer of the tree of freedom. " [6] "... I hope there will be such riots every twenty years. [7] He believes that this can make the rulers have scruples, dare not do evil, and dare not continue to infringe on people's freedom. There is a contradiction between the people's extensive democratic rights and the bourgeois concept of freedom. Classical liberals did spare no effort in resisting monarchical power, theocracy and feudal aristocratic system, but what they fought for was more the right of the emerging bourgeoisie to participate in politics, and they regarded democracy as the enemy of freedom. Even in the middle of19th century, the contradiction between freedom and democracy became the central topic in Tocqueville's On American Democracy. Tocqueville believes that there is a dangerous cultural tendency among the masses, which directly threatens individual freedom. It was he who invented the word "tyranny of the majority" and was remembered by later conservatives and liberals. Flaubert, a French novelist who was almost contemporary with john mill, was also very afraid of people. He even said: "In the future, it is not the autocratic monarch who will deprive individuals of their freedom, but the people." [8] By comparison, we can see more clearly the greatness and transcendence of Jefferson's liberalism.

Three. conclusion

The ancients said: "The mountain rises and the scenery stops. Although I can't reach it, my heart yearns for it. " Jefferson was not only an outstanding thinker and politician in American history, but also in world history. His profound democratic thought is a precious spiritual heritage belonging to all mankind. His great personality charm has always been a great inspiration to future generations. His humanism and liberalism will have an important impact on today's money-oriented, materialistic world and the neo-conservative trend of thought that deliberately oversimplifies liberalism for ideological needs.