The Conservative Affirmation

Willmoore Kendall

• Publisher: Bonhopai Books
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781779792334
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Russian History
• Index: History

 A bold and articulate defense of traditional American values,  The Conservative Affirmation  is Willmoore Kendall's enduring statement on the philosophical foundations of American conservatism. First published in 1963, the book argues that the U.S. Constitution reflects not a liberal mandate for endless individualism, but a carefully calibrated order rooted in majoritarian rule, moral consensus, and shared tradition. Kendall, a brilliant political theorist and one-time mentor to William F. Buckley Jr., challenges the liberal interpretations of the Founding and proposes a model of democracy constrained by virtue, religion, and responsible deliberation. With fierce intelligence and polemical clarity, he critiques the unchecked expansion of civil liberties, judicial activism, and secular technocracy—urging instead a return to the principles that he believes animated the American political community at its best.  The Conservative Affirmation  remains a key work for students of American political thought, conservatism, constitutionalism, and the enduring debate over the soul of the republic. 

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• Preface
• Chapter 1 — What Is Conservatism?
• Chapter 2 — The Two Majorities in American Politics
• Chapter 3 — McCarthyism: The Pons Asinorum of Contemporary Conservatism
• Chapter 4 — Freedom of Speech in America
• Chapter 5 — The Social Contract: The Ultimate Issue between Liberalism and Conservatism
• Chapter 6 — Conservatism and the “Open Society”
• Chapter 7 — A Conservative Statement on Christian Pacifism
• Chapter 8 — Conservative Appraisals of Recent Works on Politics
• Acknowledgments