America Divided: The Conservative Revival Study Guide

The Foundational Creed of Sixties Conservatism

The Goldwater Thesis (1960): Senator Barry Goldwater (Republican, Arizona) published The Conscience of a Conservative in $1960$ . He asserted that America was fundamentally a conservative nation and that the American people, particularly the youth, yearned for a return to conservative principles because the radical/liberal approach had failed.
Initial Reception and Liberal Dominance: At the time of publication, commentators viewed Goldwater's ideas as inaccurate and old-fashioned. Modern liberalism was defined by: * Government financing of education and public housing. * Social insurance for the elderly and unemployed. * Prosperity driven by strong labor unions. * A growing ethic of racial integration and cultural tolerance. * Peaceful coexistence with the Soviet Union due to the threat of hydrogen bombs.
The "Thankless Persuasion": A $1962$ study referred to American conservatism as "The Thankless Persuasion." At that time, Goldwater had sponsored no major legislation; historian Richard Hofstadter noted Goldwater's primary activity in the Senate was "simply to vote No."
Goldwater’s Rebuttal and Attack: Goldwater dismissed charges of being out-of-date, stating, "The laws of God, and of nature have no dateline." His platform included: * Anti-Welfare State: Stated his aim was not to pass laws, but to repeal them. * States' Rights: Opposed "forced integration." While he favored biracial schools personally, he refused to impose that judgment on the people of Mississippi and South Carolina. * Foreign Policy: Advocated for defeating the "Communist empire" rather than merely "containing" the Soviet bloc.
Mass Movement Formation: By $1964$ , The Conscience of a Conservative had sold over $3 imes 10^0$ million (3 million) copies. A grassroots effort eventually won Goldwater the Republican nomination.
Endurance of the Right: Unlike the New Left, which "blazed through the '60s like a meteor" but eventually splintered, the conservative movement established itself as a unified political force that lasted through the end of the $20^{th}$ century. They did not capture the presidency until $1980$ (Ronald Reagan), but became a potent force over a decade prior.

Intellectual Roots and the Post-War Revival

Historical Origins: Sixties conservatism drew on the values of Puritan ministers, slave-holding planters, and self-made industrialists, emphasizing social order, moral order, and self-reliance.
The Post-WWII "Remnant": In $1945$ , the future appeared to belong to the Left (New Deal, labor unions, and the UK's Labor government). Essayist Albert Jay Nock called traditional conservatives "the Remnant."
Key Intellectual Branches: * Libertarians: Friedrich von Hayek and Milton Friedman. They argued economic liberty in the marketplace was essential for a free society. * Ex-Marxist Anticommunists: James Burnham and Will Herberg. They believed the West required religious and moral values to defeat Soviet subversion. * Traditionalists: Russell Kirk and Robert Nisbet. They focused on natural law, custom, and "old prescription" to check human anarchy.
Core Concepts: * Economic Non-Intervention: Derived from Adam Smith. Friedrich von Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom argued that whoever controls economic means determines which values are rated higher or lower. He claimed liberal planners were "collectivists" similar to Nazis or Stalinists. * Rejection of the State: Milton Friedman (Nobel Prize winner) argued in $1962$ that civilization's advances never came from centralized government. He advocated ending any agency that replaced the marketplace, including the post office, minimum wage, public housing, and national parks. * Moral Stability: Derived from Edmund Burke. Russell Kirk argued in $1953$ that political problems are fundamentally religious and moral. Will Herberg attacked the "Liberal cult of Progress" as a "pseudo-religion."
Unifying Factors (Fusionism): Despite the tension between market innovation (Friedman) and traditional thrift (Kirk), the Right joined forces due to: * Hatred of Communism: Both groups loathed the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, seeing them as puppet states of the Kremlin. * Anti-"Creeping Socialism": Opposition to the liberal "establishment," regulatory agencies, labor unions, progressive income taxes, and civil rights laws. * Religious Outrage: The Supreme Court cases Engel v. Vitale ( $1962$ ) and the $1963$ Schempp and Murray cases (banning state-sponsored school prayer and Bible readings) were seen as a "diabolical scheme."

The Role of National Review and William F. Buckley, Jr.

Founding: National Review began publishing in the fall of $1955$ . Founder William F. Buckley, Jr. was $30$ years old and known for defending Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Style and Doctrine: Buckley promoted a "fusionist" Right using an ironic, witty style rather than a "polemical broadsword." The magazine defended the free market, Christian virtues, and aggressive anticommunism.
Stance on Race: In the late $1950$ s and early $1960$ s, the magazine sided with the white South against the black freedom movement. An editorial in $1957$ claimed the white community was entitled to resist civil rights because it was "the advanced race."
Transition on Race: By the mid- $1960$ s, they backed away from overt racism but continued to attack federal courts and "rioting mobs" for infringing on property rights and home rule.

The Militant and Radical Right

The John Birch Society (JBS): Founded in $1958$ by Robert Welch. Welch claimed the U.S. was threatened by a "gigantic conspiracy" and accused President Dwight D. Eisenhower of being complicit.
JBS Tactics: Letter writing, radio commentary, and billboards demanding the impeachment of Chief Justice Earl Warren. By $1963$ , JBS had nearly $100,000$ members and was popular in Sunbelt suburbs.
The Minutemen and KKK: Smaller, more violent militant groups that shared the JBS worldview but committed bombings and acts of violence.
The Orange County Case Study: Orange County, California, became a center for the Right due to military/aerospace production and the influence of conservative businessmen like Walter Knott (Knott’s Berry Farm) and Patrick Frawley (Schick Razor Company), as well as Cardinal Francis McIntyre.

Youth Activism and the Sharon Statement

ISI and YAF: The Intercollegiate Society of Individualists was followed by Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) in $1960$ . YAF grew to $25,000$ members.
The Sharon Statement: Written by M. Stanton Evans at Buckley's estate in Sharon, Connecticut ( $1960$ ). It defined "freedom" through the market economy, victory over communism, and limited government.
Campus Presence: YAF was strongest at Catholic colleges like Fordham and Notre Dame. They held annual conventions with formal banquets where men wore suits and women wore cocktail dresses.

The 1964 Goldwater Campaign

Organization: The "Draft Goldwater Committee," led by Clif White, operated from New York City. A July $4$ , $1963$ rally drew $9000$ people, including truck drivers, westerners, and college rebels.
The Campaign Trail: $8000$ members of YAF, JBS, and Young Republicans visited over $600,000$ households before the California primary. Goldwater's funding came mostly from small donors contributing less than \ $100$ .
The Acceptance Speech: Goldwater famously declared: "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
Specific Proposals: * Making Social Security voluntary. * Selling the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). * Opposing the nuclear test ban treaty. * Allowing NATO commanders to use nuclear weapons.
Outcome: Goldwater suffered a landslide defeat to Lyndon Johnson, but he won the Deep South (Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana) for the first time since Reconstruction.
Legacy: The campaign created a generation of leaders: William Rehnquist, Michael Deaver, Jesse Helms, Phyllis Schlafly, George Will, and Patrick Buchanan.

The Rise of Ronald Reagan and 1966 GOP Gains

Political Shift: Reagan was a former liberal Democrat and union president for film actors. He delivered a televised speech for Goldwater in $1964$ that launched his political career.
1966 California Gubernatorial Race: Reagan ran as a "citizen-politician" against incumbent Edmund "Pat" Brown. He focused on "law and order," the Watts riot, and student radicalism at UC Berkeley.
The Rumford Act: Reagan opposed open housing laws, utilizing the $2-1$ margin by which California voters had rejected the Rumford Act in $1964$ .
Outcome: Reagan won the governorship by nearly $1 imes 10^6$ (one million) votes. Nationwide, Republicans gained $47$ House seats, $3$ Senate seats, and $7$ governorships.

George Wallace and the Populist Right

Background: Governor of Alabama and symbol of white resistance. He was a former amateur boxing champion.
1964 Primaries: Wallace performed strongly in Maryland ( $45\%$ ), Wisconsin ( $34\%$ ), and Indiana ( $30\%$ ), drawing support from small farmers and blue-collar workers of Eastern European and Southern ancestry.
The Message: Wallace used "code words" like "law and order" and "neighborhood schools." He positioned himself against "pseudo-intellectuals," "bureaucrats," and "theoreticians."
Class and Style: Wallace exuded "blue-collar belligerence." He wore inexpensive suits, slicked back his hair, and famously "put ketchup on everything." He was compared to Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar.
Cultural Connection: Wallace embraced evangelical Protestantism and country music. By $1970$ , there were over $650$ AM radio stations for country music, up from fewer than $100$ in $1960$ .
Conflict with Conservative Intellectuals: William F. Buckley, Jr. privately called Wallace "Mr. Evil" and viewed him as a demagogue and a racist whose populism would poison conservatism.

Significant Dialogue and Political Exchanges

Robert Claus on Campus Activism: "You walk around with your Goldwater button, and you feel the thrill of treason." ( $1961$ )
Goldwater on Mississippi/South Carolina: "I am not prepared . . . to impose that judgment of mine . . . on the people of Mississippi and South Carolina."
The Prayer Conflict (Engel v. Vitale): A Democratic congressman argued the ruling "could put the United States schools on the same basis as Russian schools." Billy Graham called it part of a "diabolical scheme."
George Wallace vs. Anthony Lewis: When Lewis (NY Times) accused Wallace of preventing black citizens from voting, Wallace replied: "We don't have any utopia in Alabama . . . But neither do you have one here in New York City where you can't walk in Central Park at night without fear of being raped, or mugged, or shot."
Reagan on the Birch Society: When asked about supporters from the society, Reagan stated: "Any members of the society who support me will be buying my philosophy. I won't be buying theirs."
Pat Brown's Final Gaffe: In a televised ad against Reagan, Brown told schoolchildren: "I'm running against an actor, and you know who shot Lincoln, don't cha?"