The James Madison Library in American Politics - Book 1
The Conscience of a Conservative
“The book lays out, clearly and succinctly, [Goldwater’s] uncompromising views. Goldwater held freedom as the highest value in American society: freedom from law, freedom from government, freedom from anybody else’s vision but your own. You can argue with him on the particulars, but there’s something compelling about his quintessentially American notion of self-reliance.”
David Ulin, Los Angeles Times
In 1960, Barry Goldwater set forth his brief manifesto in The Conscience of a Conservative. Written at the height of the Cold War and in the wake of America's greatest experiment with big government, the New Deal, Goldwater's message was not only remarkable, but radical. He argued for the value and importance of conservative principles-freedom, foremost among them-in contemporary political life. Using the principles he espoused in this concise but powerful book, Goldwater fundamentally altered the political landscape of his day-and ours.