2 of 2

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 4

than viewing a right to property as a right not to have one's property coercively taken away, Roosevelt redefined it as "a right to be assured... in the safety of [one's] savings". Under the new "right to property," government could interfere with some people's property to "protect" others'; Roosevelt especially advocated "restrict[ing] the operations of the speculator, the manipulator, even the financier" to shield people's savings.

Roosevelt saw individual sovereignty as subordinate to a "public welfare" defined in terms of the new "economic rights." He did not believe that each man ought to be left alone to pursue his own interests; rather, people, especially successful ones, ought to "sacrifice this or that private advantage; and in reciprocal self-denial must seek a general advantage". Roosevelt unambiguously wished to restrain those whose business practices and personal interests did not conform to his vision of an equitable society: "whenever.. the lone wolf... declines to join in achieving an end recognized as being for the public welfare... the government may properly be asked to apply restraint".

Roosevelt's view of government was at odds with the ideas of John Locke, on which many of America's founding documents are based. Locke's social contract is not between rulers and the ruled, but rather among the individuals comprising a commonwealth, entered into to protect pre-existing natural rights. According to Locke, "[t]he only way whereby anyone... puts on the bonds of civil society, is by agreeing with other men to... unite into a community... in a secure enjoyment of their properties" (Second Treatise on Civil Government). Roosevelt thought that rulers grant rights to their subjects under the social contract, but Locke emphasized that such rights stem from eternal natural law predating all governments. Furthermore, Locke recognized that the "chief end... of men's... putting themselves under government is the preservation of their property" (Second Treatise on Civil Government), an end Roosevelt was ready to subvert whenever assuring "equality of opportunity" demanded it, limiting the property of some to protect the savings of others.

Unlike Roosevelt, Reagan was not optimistic about government's ability to solve social problems. Criticizing inflation, economic stagnation, and government restrictions on individual freedom and economic development, Reagan recognized that "[i]n this present crisis... [g]overnment is the problem". Reagan opposed crushing

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Franklin Roosevelt versus Ronald Reagan and the American Heritage?
We want to hear your view. Write now!