Summary
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave a speech at the University of Texas, warning that progressivism challenges the nation’s founding ideas. He said progressivism moves away from natural rights and limited government, which the Declaration of Independence and Constitution protect.
Key Facts
- Clarence Thomas is a Supreme Court Justice and part of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority.
- He spoke on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- Thomas said progressivism comes from early 20th-century ideas linked to President Woodrow Wilson.
- He argued progressivism treats rights as given by government, not as natural or inherent.
- Thomas warned that abandoning natural rights has led to harmful policies like segregation and eugenics.
- He said progressivism increases administrative power, which weakens limits on government and self-rule.
- Thomas called for a return to the founding principles to protect freedom and avoid going backward.
- An excerpt of his speech was published in The Wall Street Journal.
