OK, did a quick look on Wikipedia (sue me, that site is great).
It says That the philisophical foundations of Liberalism of the Enlightenment (the ideology I think come to all of our heads when thinking classic or original Liberalism) stem from John Locke, who based his philosophy on natural rights.
The first two states founded on Liberal principles, (the USA and the first French Republic), hold objective human right as foundations of the governments, as written in their founding documents:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
- United States Declaration of Independence
“Liberty consists of being able to do anything that does not harm others: thus, the exercise of the natural rights of every man or woman has no bounds other than those that guarantee other members of society the enjoyment of these same rights.”
- French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
I think your definition of Liberalism might be a bit off.