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Conservatism in the United States is based on a belief in individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states.[1][2] Conservatism is one of two major political ideologies of the United States with the other being liberalism. Conservative and Christian media organizations and American conservative figures are influential, and American conservatism is a large and mainstream ideology in the Republican Party and nation. As of 2021, 36 percent of Americans consider themselves conservative, according to polling by Gallup, Inc.[3][4][5]
Conservatism in the United States is not a single school of thought.[6] According to American philosopher Ian Adams, all major American parties are "liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratized Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism".[7] American conservatives tend to support Christian values,[8] moral absolutism,[9] and American exceptionalism,[10] while opposing abortion, euthanasia, and some LGBT rights (depending the politicians).[11] They tend to favor economic liberalism,[12][13] and are generally pro-business and pro-capitalism,[14][15] while opposing communism and labor unions.[16][17][18]
They often advocate for a strong national defense, gun rights, capital punishment, and a defense of Western culture from perceived threats posed by communism, Islamism and moral relativism.[19][20] American conservatives may question epidemiology, climate change, and evolution more frequently than moderates or liberals.[21][22][23]
- ^ Frohnen, Bruce; Beer, Jeremy; Jeffrey, Nelson (2014). American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia. Intercollegiate Studies Institute. ISBN 9781497651579.
The conservative veneration of individual autonomy...
- ^ Ashbee, Edward; Waddan, Alex (December 13, 2023). "US Republicans and the New Fusionism". The Political Quarterly. 95: 148–156. doi:10.1111/1467-923X.13341. ISSN 1467-923X.
- ^ Bivins, Jason C. (May 25, 2018). "How Christian media is shaping American politics". The Conversation. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Evangelicalism and Politics". The American Historian. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Gramlich, John (August 18, 2020). "5 facts about Fox News". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Nash, George H (April 26, 2016). "The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America: Then and Now". National Review. New York. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
Modern American conservatism is not, and has never been, monolithic. It is a coalition with many points of origin and diverse tendencies that are not always easy to reconcile.
- ^ Adams, Ian (2001). Political Ideology Today. Manchester University Press. p. 32. ISBN 0719060206.
Ideologically, all US parties are liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratized Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Oxford UPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Farmer, Brian (2005). American Conservatism: History, Theory and Practice. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 52. ISBN 978-1904303541.
To traditional conservatives, there most definitely are moral absolutes and they can most definitely and definitively identify those moral absolutes.
- ^ Langdale, John (2012). Superfluous Southerners: Cultural Conservatism and the South, 1920–1990. University of Missouri Press. p. 4. ISBN 9780826272850.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
jillsonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Davenport, David; Lloyd, Gordon (2013). The New Deal & Modern American Conservatism: A Defining Rivalry (eBook ed.). Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 9780817916862.
- ^ O'Neill, Johnathan; Postell, Joseph W., eds. (2013). Toward an American Conservatism: Constitutional Conservatism During the Progressive Era (eBook ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137300966.
- ^ Hoover, Kenneth R. (April 1987). "The Rise of Conservative Capitalism: Ideological Tensions within the Reagan and Thatcher Governments". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 29 (2): 245–268. doi:10.1017/S0010417500014493. ISSN 1475-2999. S2CID 145076916. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Paul, Murschetz (2013). State Aid for Newspapers: Theories. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 64. ISBN 978-3642356902.
- ^ Howison, Jeffrey D. (February 2018). "The Historical Origins and Contemporary Dynamics of Conservatism in the United States: Anticommunism, the New Class Critique, and the Environment". Political Studies Review. 16 (1): 13–24. doi:10.1177/1478929915611918. ISSN 1478-9299. S2CID 148367886.
- ^ Heineman, Kenneth J. (2018). The Rise of Contemporary Conservatism in the United States (eBook ed.). New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780429456442. ISBN 9780429456442. S2CID 159281982.
- ^ Sexton, Patricia Cayo (2019) [1991]. The War on Labor and the Left: Understanding America's Unique Conservatism (eBook ed.). New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780429492716. ISBN 9780429492716.
- ^ Pilbeam, Bruce (2003). Anglo-American Conservative Ideology After the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 100. ISBN 978-0333997659.
For most conservatives, if there is a common culprit in explaining society's descent into moral chaos, then it is relativism—the notion that there are no absolute values or standards, merely different interpretations, and perspectives.
- ^ Critchlow, Donald (2009). Debating the American Conservative Movement: 1945 to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 15. ISBN 978-0742548244.
Conservatives had a fear of Communism shared by most Americans. During this time a popular anti-Communist culture emerged in America, evident in movies, television programs, community activities, and grassroots organizations. This popular anti-Communist culture generated patriotic rallies, parades, city resolutions, and an array of anti—Communist groups concerned about Communist influence in the schools, textbooks, churches, labor unions, industry, and universities.
- ^ Oreskes, Naomi (June 1, 2021). "The Reason Some Republicans Mistrust Science: Their Leaders Tell Them To". Scientific American. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Hofer, Barbara; Sinatra, Gale (August 19, 2021). Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190944681.001.0001. ISBN 9780190944711. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Jones, Jeffrey (August 20, 2021). "Study: Evolution now accepted by majority of Americans". University of Michigan News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.