The ideas that transformed the world — free trade, limited government, and individual liberty — are now treated as relics rather than the radical achievements they truly are.

Almost 250 years ago, a group of revolutionaries published a document declaring their independence from the world’s largest empire. The Declaration of Independence clearly articulated a set of principles that had been developing for centuries — namely, that people are born free and possess an inherent right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Seven years later, after a long and arduous war, they realized their dream, and the United States of America began its grand experiment: a nation governed by its citizens rather than a monarch or dictator, with liberty placed firmly at its center. Contemporary defenders of liberalism are the progeny of that generation. We are the revolutionaries carrying this dream forward.

Today, many on both the Right and the Left — national conservatives and so-called progressives alike — seek to undermine the American experiment. They claim it has failed the middle class, minorities, women, and other groups. They argue that their ideas — tariffs, class warfare, and greater state control over the economy — will make us safer, restore jobs, and reduce poverty. But these ideas are old, and when nations have relied on them in the past, they have faltered.

Take trade. Peter Navarro and others in and around the Trump administration believe America needs to pull back from international commerce. They advocate high tariffs on imports to restrict Americans’ access to foreign goods, raise revenue, and boost domestic manufacturing. This is not new thinking. It is very old thinking.

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