Using liberal theories like John Locke's (1689) and the Universal Declaration of Human Right (1948) in chapter one and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899) in chapter two, this thesis examines the theoretical and literary transactions between liberals and postcolonials. John Locke proposed a political theory of human natural rights according to which all individuals naturally have rights like equality, life, health, and liberty. The second liberal important announcement was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, issued following World War II. This declaration established basic human rights such as freedom, justice, and peace as universally protected for all people. Postcolonials criticized liberals due to both of their racism and aggressive universalism. They argued that Liberals' rules were designed for white people and that none-whites became second person citizens. Postcolonials also criticized liberals for applying ethnocentric values universally, neglecting the diversity of religions. In the twentieth century, liberals like Martha Nussbaum and Richard Rorty acknowledged that liberals have often been racist in the past but proposed a new style of liberalism that avoided many charges of racism, ethnocentrism, orientalism, and paternalism. These liberals defended a new idea of universality and promised to work for the best. Criticism of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is examined in chapter two as exemplifying this debate between liberals and postcolonials. Early liberals praised the novel as universally true while early postcolonials claimed this novel to be a source of racism and imperialism. Later liberals contended the novel is a strong document against colonialization, but ultimately critics have concluded the novel is ambiguous regarding racism and universalism.