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'''American conservatism''' is a political tradition in the United States that honors the U.S. Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and Christianity. Various definitions exist. “What is conservatism?” Abraham Lincoln asked in his Cooper Union address. “Is it not preference for the old and tried, over the new and untried?” In ''The Devil's Dictionary'' (1906), American writer Ambrose Bierce explains that a conservative is, “a statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.” Historian Gregory Schneider defines conservatism as "a defense of tradition."<ref name=Schneider>Gregory Schneider, ''The Conservative Century: From Reaction to Revolution'' (Rowman & Littlefield. 2009) p. xii</ref> In the conservative view, the proper role of government is to support existing ways of life. Liberal proposals to restructure society are condemned as "utopian" and "social reengineering." The word "conservative" is from ''Le Conservateur'', the name of an ultraroyalist French periodical founded by Chateaubriand n 1818. In the early 1830s, the word was adopted as a self-description by the Tories in Britain, as well as by John Calhoun in the U.S.

'''American conservatism''' is a political tradition in the United States that honors the U.S. Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and Christianity. Various definitions exist. “What is conservatism?” Abraham Lincoln asked. “Is it not preference for the old and tried, over the new and untried?”<ref>Lincoln, Abraham, "[http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/cooper.htm Cooper Union Address]" (1860).</ref> In ''The Devil's Dictionary'' (1906), American writer Ambrose Bierce explains that a conservative is, “a statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.” Historian Gregory Schneider defines conservatism as "a defense of tradition."<ref name=Schneider>Gregory Schneider, ''The Conservative Century: From Reaction to Revolution'' (Rowman & Littlefield. 2009) p. xii</ref> In the conservative view, the proper role of government is to support existing ways of life. Liberal proposals to restructure society are condemned as "utopian" and "social reengineering." The word "conservative" is from ''Le Conservateur'', the name of an ultraroyalist French periodical founded by Chateaubriand n 1818. In the early 1830s, the word was adopted as a self-description by the Tories in Britain, as well as by John Calhoun in the U.S.

The modern conservative movement can be traced to [[Edmund Burke]], a British politician who provided a statement of the ideology in ''Reflections on the Revolution in France'' (1790). Burke's views were developed in response to the social reengineering projects of the French revolutionaries. Burke was a Whig and a supporter the American Revolution. His political position was to the left of the Tories, who supported royal authority and opposed the revolution. Liberals may identify conservatism with right-wing views. But as this example illustrates, conservatives are not necessarily the most right-wing group on the political spectrum. According to Burke, "change is the means of our preservation." So the idea that conservatives oppose all change is another liberal canard.

 

The modern conservative movement can be traced to [[Edmund Burke]], a British politician who provided a statement of his ideology in ''Reflections on the Revolution in France'' (1790).<ref>Kirk, Russell, ''The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Elliot'', p. 6. "Conscious conservatism, in the modern sense, did not manifest itself until 1790, with the publication of ''Reflections on the Revolution in France''.</ref> Burke's views were developed in response to the social reengineering projects of the French revolutionaries. Burke was a Whig and a supporter the American Revolution. His political position was to the left of the Tories, who supported royal authority and opposed the revolution. Liberals may identify conservatism with right-wing views. But as this example illustrates, conservatives are not necessarily the most right-wing group on the political spectrum. According to Burke, "change is the means of our preservation." So the idea that conservatives oppose all change is another liberal canard.

Since America lacks an aristocracy or an established church, the tradition that American conservatives defend is not simple to define. Schneider identifies American conservatism with support of republicanism, "the rule of law and the Christian religion," and a defense of "Western civilization from the challenges of modernist culture and totalitarian governments."<ref name="Schneider" />

Since America lacks an aristocracy or an established church, the tradition that American conservatives defend is not simple to define. Schneider identifies American conservatism with support of republicanism, "the rule of law and the Christian religion," and a defense of "Western civilization from the challenges of modernist culture and totalitarian governments."<ref name="Schneider" />

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[[Category:Conservatism]]

[[Category:Conservatism]]