2.1.4 Why Study Classical Liberalism?

Today, most people in the developed world enjoy significant personal rights and freedoms. They can choose where to live, what kind of work to do, what to buy, who their friends are, and what to do in their free time. They know they are protected by the law and are considered equal under the law. They can participate in their democracy by speaking freely, voting, and even running for office.

These rights and freedoms are relatively new in the history of mankind. In the days of our ancestors, people did not experience the kinds of liberty we do today. In many countries, they were born into a certain social class and could not move out of it. Men were not considered equals to all other men, and women were not considered equals to men or to women of higher social classes. They could not own property, and people without property could not vote.

The girl in the image worked in the cotton mills of the United States in the 1800s. Consider the details in the photo that tell you something about her life.

• What rights and freedoms do you think she had?
• What has changed in our world so that young children are not forced to work in unsafe factories for very little pay?
• Or has our world changed that much?

Our political and economic systems in Canada were influenced strongly by those in Europe where the ideas of classical liberalism originated. The focus of this unit is the development of classical liberalism in Europe and North America, which formed the basis of Canada's economic and political institutions.

 As you read the pages that follow, including the required textbook readings, take notes about the principles of classical liberalism.