Tuesday, September 27, 2011

277: Conservatism in America by Clinton Rossiter

(During the month of September I'm recommending conservative titles with which every well-read progressive should be familiar.)

Conservatism in America (Harvard Paperbacks)

You might have to find this in a library or a used book service. Rossiter was an eminent American historian, winner of the prestigious Bancroft prize, who died too young. Rossiter wrote this serious, scholarly history of conservatism in America during a period when conservatism was considered a thing of the past; a political philosophy that had seen its time come and go. Rossiter shows that conservatism has a long and important history in American politics and argues (correctly) that the eulogies were premature.

Why this is libertarian/conservative: Rossiter's history is an important, scholarly work on conservatism in America. One of the best resources for substantial arguments about the role of conservatives in US history.

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