An Important Dimension of the American Founding Spirit: Conservatism

Abstract

The term "American liberal tradition" has long been popular in mainstream political science regarding the American founding spirit. But with the rise of the conservative movement in the 19th century, conservative scholars sought to incorporate the "conservative tradition" into the American spirit. By clarifying the interaction between conservatism and early American political practice, this paper explores the important role of American conservatism in the three founding moments of the American political order: the colonial period, the American Revolution, and the Constitutional Convention, and clarifies that American conservatism was an important dimension of the American founding spirit that could not be ignored.