“Qualitative liberalism”: Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and the persuasive uses of definition and history

Abstract

During the 1950s, American liberals as an ideological group were besieged by a number of challenges to their values and presumptions. In response to these challenges, historian and political advocate Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. sought to transform the term “liberal” from a term of approbation to a term with a broader, more positive appeal. In the latter half of the 1950s, Schlesinger engaged in a rhetorical campaign which attempted to provide liberals with a dramatic redefinition of themselves as a force in American politics based on the notion of “qualitative liberalism.” This essay applies the concepts of persuasive definition, ideograph, and ideological history in an analysis of Schlesinger's discourse in order to enhance understanding of how the strategic definition of terms such as “liberal” can influence the ongoing struggle to set presumptions in American political life.