Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivered remarks criticizing progressivism, arguing that the political philosophy challenges the foundational principles of the United States and departs from the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas centered his comments on the concept of natural rights, which he described as a defining element of the nation’s founding framework.
He said progressivism seeks to replace those principles with a system that places authority in government rather than in a higher source.
“Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence and hence our form of government. It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God, but from government. It requires of the people a subservience and weakness incompatible with a constitution premised on the transcendent origin of our rights.”
Thomas stated that the shift away from natural rights has broader implications for how government power is exercised.
He said the Constitution is grounded in the belief that rights are inherent and not granted by political institutions, and he described progressivism as incompatible with that premise.
In his remarks, Thomas also pointed to historical developments in the 20th century, linking them to what he described as the influence of progressive thought.
He referenced European political systems that were promoted during earlier periods of American political debate and said those systems produced consequences that extended beyond their original intent.
“The Century of progressivism did not go well. The European system that Wilson and the progressives scolded Americans for not adopting, which he called nearly perfect, led to the governments that caused the most awful century that the world has ever seen, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Mao all were intertwined with the rise of progressivism, and all were opposed to the natural rights on which our declaration are based.”
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Thomas identified those leaders and regimes as examples of governments that rejected the concept of natural rights.
He described them as operating within systems that placed authority in centralized power structures rather than in principles tied to inherent human dignity.
The remarks drew attention to long-standing debates over the role of government and the source of individual rights in American political life.
Thomas’ comments focused on the contrast between the nation’s founding documents and modern interpretations of governance, particularly those associated with progressive ideology.
He framed the issue as a fundamental difference in how rights are understood, stating that the distinction affects the relationship between citizens and the state.
Thomas said that when rights are viewed as originating from government, it alters the balance between individual liberty and government authority.