change in meaning of the term Liberal in America.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

As the more politically savvy of you know "Liberal" in England, Europe, and elsewhere in the world does not mean what it does in the USA.

In the US the term has come to mean a sort of reformist approach to politics and economy, calling for civil liberties, antidiscrimination legislation, economic and environmental regulation and, if needed, intervention, and so forth...basically aspects of the old Progressive and New Deal agenda.

I was wondering if anyone is knowlegeable enough about political history who could tell me how the term became to be used in the US to mean what used to be called "Progressive" or "New Deal"....or when the term started to be used to mean these things.