Defining Terminlogy

The American Heritage Dictionary

Republican Party n.   One of the two primary political parties of the United States, organized in 1854 to oppose slavery.

Democratic Party n.  One of the two major political parties in the United States, owing it's origin to a split in the Democratic Republican Party under Andrew Jackson in 1828.

Democratic Republican Party n. A political party in the United States that was opposed to the Federalist Party and was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1792 and dissolved in 1828.

Federalist Party n. A U.S. political party founded in 1787 to advocate the establishment of a strong federal government and the adoption by the states of the Constitution.  The party gained prominence in the 1790's under the leadership of Alexander Hamilton.

Tory n. 3. often tory, A supporter of traditional political and social institutions against the forces of democratization or reform; a political conservative.

Whig n. 1. a member of an 18th and 19th century British political party that was opposed to the Tories. 2. A supporter of the war against England during the American Revolution. 3. A 19th century American political party formed to oppose the Democratic Party and favoring high tariffs and a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

Liberalism n. 2.a. A political theory founded on the natural goodness of human beings and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority.

Socialism n. 1.a. A social system in which the means of producing and distributing goods are owned collectively and political power is exercised by the whole community.  2. The building of the base material for communism under the dictatorship of the proletariat in Marxist-Leninist theory.

Communism n. 2. a. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Conservatism n. 1. The inclination, especially in politics to maintain the traditional or existing order. 2. A political philosophy or attitude expressing respect for traditional institutions, distrust of governmental activism, and distrust of sudden change in the established order.

As you read through these definitions you could probably identify your own beliefs in several, which often contained contrary bits of data,  and you may have also been able to conclusively decide certain beliefs did not fit your own whatsoever.  Hence the problem today.  We have no clear current definition for the belief set by which most Americans can identify, leading to almost 40% who maintain they are "independent" and only 20% within each major party who identify themselves as being at the outlying edges of left or right.

Americans of most stripes can embrace the term "liberty", and I believe it is only through understanding the definition of the term which entails it's historical reference, economic consequence, and political relevance can we reach agreement on what it truly means to be an American.