MOUNT RUSHMORE

These 4 Progressive and Liberal Presidents are considered the greatest leaders in American History and are enshrined on Mount Rushmore.

George Washington (1789-1797)
He was the only President elected with 100% of the Electoral Vote.  As he was already wealthy, he declined to take a salary of $25,000.  Washington was not a member of a Political Party, and hoped they would never be formed.   

In his farewell address to the nation, George Washington warned America against foreign influence in domestic affairs, and American meddling in Europe; permanent alliances with "any" portion of the foreign world; and "bitter bipartisanship" in domestic affairs.  He called on Americans to move beyond partisanship, and serve the common good, as well as having friendship and commerce with all nations, yet not entering into long-term "entangling" alliances. 

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
The 3rd President of the United States, and the principal author of The Declaration Of Independence in 1776.  Jefferson was the co-founder and leader of the Democrat-Republican party, a political philosopher, and man of Enlightenment.  He was among other things, a horticulturist, statesman, architect, archeologist, paleontologist, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson is considered the greatest American President, and he is most known for believing in the rights of the Individual, over the  rights of the State or Aristocracy.   One aspect of his genius in that area was his writing about the First Amendments Separation of Church and State.  Another is his call for "free public education for all in America who seek it."  In his 1806 State of The Union address, Jefferson called for an amendment to the U. S. Constitution mandating funding for public education.  Jefferson knew that only by having an educated electorate could our Republic hope to endure and thrive as a Nation. 

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
The Great Emancipator.   President Abraham Lincoln led the United States through the Civil War, retaining the Union.  One of his famous quotes was, " A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand," delivered in Springfield, Illinois in 1958 as he accepted the Republican party nomination as Illinois Senator.  Lincoln, a Progressive Republican instituted the very first income tax and it was progressive.  If you earned up to $800 a year you paid at a rate of 3%.  If you earned up to $10,000, you paid a 5% rate.  As Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution states, "Congress shall have power to lay taxes, imposts, duties, and excises to pay the debts of the United States." 

Honest Abe was a Country Lawyer, a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, an Illinois State Legislator, and won the Republican party nomination in 1860 for which he was elected President.  

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) 
Roosevelt called for Universal Health Care in 1904, was known as a Trust Buster, and was a Progressive Republican.  He said he was not an enemy of Capitalism, but that the private sector and government needed tight control and regulation so that the powerful would not take advantage of the weak.  T.R., as he is known called for high taxes on the wealthy because, "they benefitted more from the freedom this country provides them."  Roosevelt also coined the phrase "Muckraker," to describe journalists who investigated and reported on corruption in the business sector, which he borrowed from The Man With The Muck Rake in the book Pilgrims Progress by Paul Bunyan.

After Roosevelt had a rift with the Republican party, he formed the Progressive "Bull Moose" party in 1912.  He was a Harvard educated son of a wealthy family, and among many of his credits, he was an avid Writer, Conservationist, Police Chief of New York City, Governor of New York, Secretary of The Navy, Vice-President and a two term President.  

Progressives In American History 

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
Susan B. Anthony was an activist, reformer, teacher, lecturer and publisher, as well as the spokesperson for the 19th century Women's Suffrage Movement.  A Quaker, from New York, widely known today as the image on the Dollar coin (1979), Susan helped found the American Equal Rights Amendment in 1868.  She worked for many years with Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the issues of women's Suffrage and Voting Rights.  In 1868, with Stanton as editor, she published "Revolution."   

Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
A great American literary artist, Folk/Rock, Singer/Songwriter and dedicated Philanthropist.  Harry was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1986 for his Humanitarian work, which included being a key player in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977.  You may know him from his two top hits, Taxi(1972) and Cats In The Cradle(1974), but he was a devoted activist for America.  Born in Brooklyn into a family of Poets, Musicians and Painters, Harry Chapin not only gave 1/3 of his concert earnings away (he always said, "Money is for People"), he also wrote about the song of America that was in his heart.  His two Broadway Musicals, "Cotton Patch Gospel" and "The Night That Made America Famous" are historical musings of this great land and its' people.  He was the co-founder with Bill Ayers of WHY (World Hunger Year), and the motivating force for the Live Aid, Band Aid, Farm Aid, and We Are The World music/humanitarian ventures.  

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993)
A Mexican American farm worker, labor leader, vegetarian and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Dolores Huerta, which later became the (UFW) United Farm Workers.  He is responsible for bringing many improvements for union laborers.  Cesar was highly educated about economic philosophy, cooperatives and unions.  His birthday is Cesar Chavez Day, a state holiday in eight U. S. states, and his portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. 

Noam Chomsky (Born 1928) 
Arguably one of the foremost intellectuals in the world today, Noam Chomsky has taught at M.I.T. for 53 continuous years, and is a famous American Linguist, Philosopher, Cognitive Scientist, Political Activist and Lecturer.  His awards are too numerous to mention here.  He has often been called a Libertarian Socialist Intellectual, and he regards this term as "the proper and natural extension of Classical Liberalism into the era of Advanced Industrial Society."

Mr. Chomsky is a well known anti-war activist.  He said, "power, unless justified, is inherently illegitimate."  The War on Drugs he said was "misleading," and he firmly asserts in his lectures that the "mass media in America largely serves as a propaganda arm and bought priesthood of the U. S. Government and U. S. Corporations."

Hillary Clinton (Born 1947)
Hillary Clinton has achieved what no woman in history ever has.  Two terms as the First Lady; Twice elected to serve as U. S. Senator from
New York; The first woman to be a Presidential Candidate from a major party (she won more primaries-21, and more votes-over 18 million, than any woman in U. S. history, in the closest presidential election primary ever); And in 2009 was nominated and confirmed to be Secretary of State.  We salute her courage, career and work for change throughout the globe.
 
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969)
A progressive Republican and the Commander of The Allied Forces in WWII, and the 34th president of the United States, Eisenhower is endeared to progressives today for his Farewell Speech in 1961 in which he warned our Nation about the Industrial Military Complex.  In 1948, he became the President of Columbia University, and in 1950, took leave from that position to become the Supreme Commander of NATO.  He served as President of the U. S. from 1953 - 1961, and preached a "dynamic conservatism," that preserved and extended the New Deal, and made racial discrimination a National Security issue. 

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973)
The 36th President, LBJ is known for his creation of the "Great Society," which included the Civil rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, the founding of Medicare and Medicaid, environmental protections, aid to education, and his War on Poverty.  Johnson was a member of the U. S. House (1937-1949), a U. S. Senator (1949-1960), and was elected Vice-President in 1960 which led him to become president in 1963 with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

Thom Hartmann (Born 1951)
American radio host, author, entrepreneur, psychotherapist and political liberal and progressive leader in America.  Considered to be a Liberal / Progressive, Thom calls himself part of the "radical middle."  He has written many books, most recently one titled, "Unequal Protection: The Rise Of Corporate Dominance And The Theft of Human Rights."  He has written about the Separation of Church and State, believes the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections were stolen, and is an outspoken critic of Globalization, and the erosion of the Middle Class.  Thom accuses the Bush Administration of eroding democracy and individual freedoms.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)
JFK as he is known was a WWII hero, and the 35th President of the United States.  He was the youngest President ever elected at 43 years old, and the first President born in the 20th century.  JFK served in the U. S. House (1947-1953), and U. S. Senate (1953-1960), and was the author of the book "Profiles In Courage."  As President, he proposed what was to become The Civil Rights Act of 1964, created The Peace Corps, presided over the Cuban Missile Crisis, and worked to abolish the Federal Death Penalty.  Another of his landmark idea's was the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.  JFK wanted to dismantle the selection of immigrants based on a country of selection (an extension of Civil Rights), and sought to bring more Immigrants from Latin America than from Europe. 

JFK is widely known for a speech in which he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  In another speech, he said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable."  You can read his speech "What Is A Liberal?," given to the Liberal Party of New York in 1960 here.

Ted Kennedy (1932-2009)
He was affectionately known by his friends and colleagues as the "Lion Of The Senate."  Ted Kennedy served as a Senator from Massachusetts from 1962 until his passing in 2009.  Ted was known as a great orator, and his 1980 speech at the Democratic Convention was known as a rallying cry for Modern American Liberalism.  His words from that convention are widely known and praised as he said, "The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream will never die."

He also gave an eloquent speech in 1968 at his brother Roberts funeral, and in 47 years in the Senate, is responsible for much legislation protecting the working class, families and the poor in America.

Robert Kennedy (1925-1968)
Robert F. Kennedy was an American politician, the brother of the late President JFK, Attorney General of the U. S. (1961-64), and a U. S. Senator from New York in 1968 when an assassins bullet took his life moments after he won the Democratic Party nomination for president. 

The issues that Bobby, as he was affectionately known, fought for in his brief life were, Civil Rights, battling Organized Crime, abolishing the Death Penalty, seeking an end to the Vietnam war, and working tirelessly to help the poor and disadvantaged throughout America.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Dr. King was a Baptist Minister who became a Human Rights Icon working for Civil rights in the South.  In 1964, he was the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent efforts to end racial segregation, and racial discrimination.  When he was assassinated in 1968, he was speaking frequently in opposition to the Vietnam war.  Dr. King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977), the Congressional Gold Medal (2004) and a National Holiday that bears his name (1986).  

Dennis Kucinich (Born 1946)
Dennis is a Democratic Representative in the U. S. House for the 10th district of Ohio from where he delivers a "strong liberal perspective."  He brought impeachment actions in the House against President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, and was the only 2008 presidential candidate who voted against going to war in Iraq.  He also voted against The Patriot Act, and The Military Commissions Act.  Rep. Kucinich is a co-sponsor of HR676, The United States Health Care Act proposed by John Conyers in 2003.  

Molly Ivins (1944-2007)
A populist, newspaper columnist, political commentator, humorist and best-selling author, Molly had a wealthy upbringing (graduate of Beverly Hills High in 1951), and a Northeastern education.  She is well known for her Texas wit, as an unabashed liberal writer.  Molly was a sharp critic of the Iraq War(2003).

Robert M. La Follete (1855-1925)
Senator Robert M. La Follete of Wisconsin founded the Progressive Magazine (originally titled La Follette's Weekly) in 1909.  Now 100 years old, La Follette's mission for the magazine was laid out in the first issue where he stated:  "In the course of every attempt to establish and develop free government, a struggle between Special Privilege and Equal Rights is inevitable.  Our great industrial organizations are in control of politics, government, and natural resources.  They manage conventions, make platforms, dictate legislation.  They rule through the very men elected to represent them." 

Fighting Bob as he was known, was the Progressive Party candidate for president in 1924, winning the state of Wisconsin as well as 17% of the National vote.  He was also voted #1 in 1982 by a group of historians considering the ten greatest Senators in American history. 

Lucretia Mott (1793-1880)
Lucreita Mott was an American Quaker, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent of women's rights, and the first president of the American Equal Rights Association.  She is credited with being the first American feminist, and known as the initiator of women's political advocacy.  She considered slavery to be an evil that must be opposed, and spoke at the World Anti-Slavery Conference held in London, England in 1840.  In 1848, she along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized a women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.  On marriage, Lucretia said in 1879, "In a true marriage relation, the independence of the husband and wife is equal, their dependence mutual, and their obligations reciprocal."   

Barack Obama (Born 1961)
Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.  Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009, and is the first African-American president in U. S. History.

Barack is a graduate of Columbia University, and Harvard Law School where he was the Editor of the Harvard Law Review.  His resume includes 5 years as a Community Organizer in Chicago, 8 years in the Illinois State Senate, and 4 years in the U. S. Senate, as well as practicing and teaching Civil Rights and Constitutional law.
 
Elinor Ostrom (Born 1933)
Elinor is an American political scientist who is on the faculty of both Indiana University, and Arizona State University.  She earned her B.A. at UCLA, and was awarded both a Masters and P.H.D. there as well.  Elinor is the first woman to win (she shared the award) the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009, and is a leading scholar in the research study of "common pool resources."

Thomas Paine (The Father Of The American Revolution) (1737-1809)
With his pamphlet Common Sense selling over 500,000 copies in 1776, Tom Paine is considered the Father of The American Revolution.  Paine was an author, inventor, radical and revolutionary who also greatly influenced the French Revolution, and penned "The Rights Of Man" in 1791 that was a guide to Enlightenment ideas.  In 1793-94 he wrote "The Age of Reason" in which he advocated Deism, promoted reason and free-thinking, and argued against institutionalized religion and Christian doctrines. 

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)
An African American civil rights activist who the U. S. Congress called the "Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement."  Rosa Parks, at age 42 in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat to make room for a white passenger.  Her action led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  Her defiance also became an international symbol of resistance.  As the secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, she collaborated with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helping to launch him to national prominence.

Rosa Parks said, "people always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true.  I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I was at the end of a working day.  I was not old, although some have an image of me being old then.  I was forty-two.  No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

Frances Perkins (1880-1965)
She was the first woman appointed to a cabinet position, and as U. S. Secretary of Labor, is responsible for many labor laws we know and regard today as invaluable.  Frances held her position with FDR for the entire time he was president (1933-1945).  She helped FDR pull the labor movement in America into the New Deal, and wrote laws against child-labor, as well as the Fair Labor Standards Act, which brought us the minimum wage, overtime pay, and the 40 hour work week.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)
FDR as he is known in history was inaugurated as President in 1932, and is the only President elected to serve more than 2 terms.  He was elected in all 4 times as President.  Roosevelt's first Inaugural Address to America in the midst of the Great Depression is one of the finest speeches in U. S. History.  FDR worked with Congress for several years holding hearings on the Stock Market Crash of 1929.  The hearings concluded that the men of Wall Street and in the Banking Industry took advantage of the working class, causing much needed regulation.  He created the Securities and Exchange Commission, and signed into law the Glass-Steagall Act in 1933 regulating the Banking industry.  When leaders in the financial sector fought FDR, he said, "I welcome their hatred."

Roosevelt was the architect of the New Deal which gave America the Works Progress Administration, the Social Security Act, the National Recovery Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.  

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)
Elizabeth was a social-activist, abolitionist, and major figure in the Women's Rights movement in the 19th century.  In 1848, along with Lucretia Mott, she called for a Women's Rights convention to be held in Seneca Falls, N.Y. and there, she presented her Declaration of Sentiments that initiated the movement of Women's Rights in America.  She worked closely for most of her life with Susan B. Anthony, and was the editor of Revolution, a paper published by Anthony. 

Ida Tarbell ( 1857-1944)
Ida Tarbell was a Muckraker, and Newspaper and Magazine writer and editor.  She is known for her exposes on corporate America, and her biographies of Abraham Lincoln.  In 1904 she wrote "The History Of Standard Oil," that was published in McClures magazine, and resulted in federal action, as well as the eventual breakup of Standard Oil Of New Jersey in 1911 under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. 

Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)
She was born a slave, and went on to become a fugitive slave, underground Rail Road conductor, abolitionist, spy, soldier, and nurse, serving in South Carolina with the U. S. Army during the Civil War.  As an African American, she was a staunch advocate for the Women's Suffrage Movement.  Harriet also helped organize the AME (American Methodist Episcopal Church). 

Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Mark Twain makes this list because he is the brightest mind in American Literature when it comes to writing about Human Nature, Politics or the Soul of Man in America.  In 1898, Twain became a member of the Anti-Imperialist League for which he would serve as vice-president.

Twain said, "Who are the oppressors?  The few: The King,  the Capitalist, and a handful of other overseers and superintendents.  Who are the oppressed?  The many:  The Nations of the Earth, the Valuable Personages, the Workers, they that make the Bread that the Soft-Handed and Idle eat."  

Howard Zinn (Born 1922)
Howard Zinn was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. in 1922.  He eagerly joined the Army Air force in WWII to fight Fascism.  When he returned home and took advantage of the G. I. Bill, he went on to earn a degree in History from Columbia University, and became the Chairman of the Department of History at Spelman College during which time he participated in the Civil Rights movement. 

Zinn is a Historian, Political Scientist, Social Critic, Activist, Author, Playwright and Democratic Socialist.  As an anti-war activist and author, Mr. Zinn opposed the Vietnam War and the Iraq War and has said that the only way the Iraq War and Occupation will end, is when the Military resistance rises in the Military like it did in Vietnam.  

Howard Zinn is most recognized for his book, The Peoples History Of The United States, which transformed the way history is taught in America.  He is still active today in the battle for Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, and the Anti-war Movement.    

This list of notable Historical and Contemporary Progressives barely scratches the surface of the men and women who have contributed their time, talents and wisdom to Progressive ideals in our country's history.  We will be expanding this list.

The Declaration Of Independence

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, was signed on July 4, 1776.  This document, written principally by Thomas Jefferson was a public announcement of the American colonies declaring themselves "Free" and "Independent" States, absolving themselves from any allegiance to Great Britain.

The U. S. Constitution

Is the supreme law of the United States.  It defines the three main branches of government, the legislative branch (The Congress), the executive branch (The President), and the judicial branch (The Supreme Court).  The Constitution carefully details which powers each branch may exercise, and reserves numerous rights for the states.  Adopted on September 17, 1787, the U. S. Constitution is the world's oldest federal constitution.  Article I defines the congress and it's power, Article II defines the president and presidential power, Article III defines the court system and powers, and Article IV defines the states' powers, limits, and relation to the Federal government.  

The U.S. Bill of Rights (inspired by the English Bill of Rights) consists of ten amendments added to the Constitution in 1991.   

 Right Wing / Left Wing

The terms Right Wing and Left Wing have been around quite a long time.  During the French Revolution, those who sat to the "Right" of the King, supported the King, The State Church, and the Aristocracy.  Those who sat on the "Left" supported the Popular Political Movements (the people), the Republic, and Secularization. 

Great Speeches In American History

American Rhetoric