What is the Conservative Movement about?
The American conservative movement is not defined by a set of policies but rather by a commitment to conserve America's first principles and its tradition of limited self-government. Conservatism holds that these first principles—proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and promulgated by the United States Constitution—define us as a country and inspire us as a people. Conservatives believe that the original structure of America's carefully written constitution and its enduring framework of limited government is the best mechanism for securing national independence, providing economic opportunity, establishing religious liberty, and maintaining a flourishing society of republican self-government. Conservatives believe that the change we need, the change that is consistent with the American idea, is not movement away from but toward our principles—which are both the fixed goal and the unchanging ground of our ever-changing experience.
There are, of course, a wide variety of groups and movements within the conservative movement itself. Some are primarily focused on strengthening our national defense, others are concerned primarily with social issues, and still others are driven primarily to advance economic freedom. Although each of these groups is unique, they are all fused together into an identifiable movement—the conservative movement—by a common commitment to conserve America's first principles and political traditions.
For more on the conservative movement, see Matthew Spalding's lecture "A New American Fusionism: Recovering Principles in Our Politics."
The American conservative movement is not defined by a set of policies but rather by a commitment to conserve America's first principles and its tradition of limited self-government. Conservatism holds that these first principles—proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and promulgated by the United States Constitution—define us as a country and inspire us as a people. Conservatives believe that the original structure of America's carefully written constitution and its enduring framework of limited government is the best mechanism for securing national independence, providing economic opportunity, establishing religious liberty, and maintaining a flourishing society of republican self-government. Conservatives believe that the change we need, the change that is consistent with the American idea, is not movement away from but toward our principles—which are both the fixed goal and the unchanging ground of our ever-changing experience.
There are, of course, a wide variety of groups and movements within the conservative movement itself. Some are primarily focused on strengthening our national defense, others are concerned primarily with social issues, and still others are driven primarily to advance economic freedom. Although each of these groups is unique, they are all fused together into an identifiable movement—the conservative movement—by a common commitment to conserve America's first principles and political traditions.
For more on the conservative movement, see Matthew Spalding's lecture "A New American Fusionism: Recovering Principles in Our Politics."