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'''American conservatism''' today is a position on primarily social issues that began with the successful STOP ERA movement in the 1970s, which has a home in the Republican Party as established by the book ''A Choice Not an Echo'' (1964).  

'''American conservatism''' today is a position on primarily social issues that began with the successful STOP ERA movement in the 1970s, which has a home in the Republican Party as established by the book ''A Choice Not an Echo'' (1964).  

Its roots prior to the 1960s and 1970s are less clear.  Some based it in a longstanding tradition in the United States that honors the U.S. Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and Christianity.

Its roots prior to the 1960s and 1970s are less clear.  Some based it in a longstanding tradition in the United States that supports limited government, checks and balances on power, strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution, and Christianity in general.

Various definitions exist. “What is conservatism?” Abraham Lincoln asked rhetorically. “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. Conservatives are partial to institutions that were built up gradually and whose current form distills the accumulated wisdom of generations. Liberal proposals to restructure society are condemned as "utopian" and "social re-engineering."

Various definitions exist. “What is conservatism?” Abraham Lincoln asked rhetorically. “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. Conservatives are partial to institutions that were built up gradually and whose current form distills the accumulated wisdom of generations. Liberal proposals to restructure society are condemned as "utopian" and "social re-engineering."