During my Advanced Placement European History class, I learned about “small-L liberalism,” which refers to the Enlightenment school of thought that champions individual rights and limited government. By reading John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu , I was surprised to learn that this ideology was far from its modern, “ big-L ” cousin that is now associated with the Democratic Party — and that ideological liberalism defied current partisan binaries.

Ideological liberalism also constitutes the foundation for many Western democratic nations. Although Americans contest several rights , very few refute the idea that people should not have rights at all, highlighting the persistence and widespread acceptance of various aspects of ideological liberalism.

Beyond government, the le

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