• Home
  • Episodes
  • Blog
  • About
  • Merchandise
  • Support
In The Past Lane

In The Past Lane

Your Highway to History

  • Home
  • Episodes
  • Blog
  • About
  • Merchandise
  • Support

Episode 036 Libertarianism in US History

August 21, 2017 by InThePastLane 1 Comment

Please Subscribe to ITPL Button - ERI - APPLE PODCAST versionThis week we take on the topic of libertarianism, an ideology that in recent years has gained many adherents, including political conservatives and people in business, especially the high tech industry. But it’s worth asking, what is libertarianism and where does it fit in the history of American political culture? Is it a mainstream ideology with deep roots in American history? Or is it one on the fringe? And what accounts for its surging popularity in recent years?
Well, to answer these questions, I’ll first give my historian’s take on libertarianism. Spoiler alert: I’m not a big fan. I’ll point out how libertarianism occupies a place on the very outer fringe of American political ideology. And that it’s mainly an ideology of recent origin (ca 1945) and that it’s popularity has a lot to do with the efforts of millionaires and billionaires, as well as large corporations, that fund pro-libertarian initiatives. The US has always revered individualism, but not the radical individualism that defines libertarianism. It’s an individualism that has always been tempered by an equally important commitment to the common good.
ITPL Ep 036 Woodside book cover
Then I’ll speak with Christine Woodside, author of the book, Libertarians on the Prairie: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and the Making of the Little House Books. Wait, what? Little House on the Prairie has something to do with libertarianism? Yes. In fact, as you’re about to hear, it has quite a bit to do with it. Let’s just say that it’s a story that includes not only Laura Ingalls Wilder, but also Ayn Rand, the Koch brothers, and the Libertarian Party.

Among the many things discussed in this episode:
What is libertarianism and where does it fit in the history of American political culture?

How have billionaires and corporations since 1945 worked to promote libertarianism?

Why the Founding Fathers were NOT libertarians.

How Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter infused libertarian themes into the Little House books.

How the Little House on the Prairie franchise helped fund the rise of libertarianism and the Libertarian Party in the mid-20th century.

About Christine Woodside – website

Further Reading

Christine Woodside, Libertarians on the Prairie: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and the Making of the Little House Books (2015)

Nancy MacLean, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America (2017)

Colin Woodard, American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good (2015)

Daniel Cluchey, “The Founding Fathers Were Not Libertarians,” Huffington Post, May 25, 2011

Music for This Episode

Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (JayGMusic.com)

Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive)

Ketsa, “I Will Be There” (Free Music Archive)

Doc Turtle, “Thought Soup” (Free Music Archive)

Hefferman, “Winter Trek” (Free Music Archive)

The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive)

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Lulu Spencer

Technical Advisors: Holly Hunt and Jesse Anderson

Podcasting Consultant: Darrell Darnell of Pro Podcast Solutions

Photographer: John Buckingham

Graphic Designer: Maggie Cellucci

Website by: ERI Design

Legal services: Tippecanoe and Tyler Too

Social Media management: The Pony Express

Risk Assessment: Little Big Horn Associates

Growth strategies: 54 40 or Fight

© Snoring Beagle International, 2017

  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • pinterest

Recent Blog Posts

  • Why Henry George Matters in This Second Gilded Age
  • The Birth of Labor Day
  • Tubman on the New $20 Bill – Move Over Jackson
  • Hercules Mulligan, Patriot Mentor and Spymaster
  • America’s Last Ice Age (more recent than you think)
  • When Americans Saw Irish Immigrants as Terrorists
  • Why Do We Hold Presidential Primaries?
  • Lady Liberty Had Something Else in Mind – The Statue of Liberty Originally Had NOTHING to Do with Immigration
Subscribe with iTunes
Subscribe with Stitcher
Subscribe with Google Play

Episode Search

Copyright © 2023 · Playcast Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in