Synopses & Reviews
While there have long been libertarians, agrarians, individualists, collectivists, nationalists, and others who fit the contemporary label of “conservative,” no cohesive conservative movement existed prior to World War II. How, then, did conservatism develop into such a powerful American political force?
Tracing the history of conservatism from the concerns and ideas of the Old Right, through the Cold War, the “Gingrich revolution,” and into the present, Conservatism in America Since 1930 gathers a wide range of conservative writings and documents showcasing the development and protean character of the modern conservative intellectual and political movement.
The book includes essays from Russell Kirk, Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, William F. Buckley, Jr., Ronald Reagan, and Pat Buchanan, among others, and highlights key debates between the movements factions. Along with essays by these canonical conservative figures, the volume also contains excerpts from sources less frequently cited, such as the Twelve Southerners and Seward Collins, as well as documents from conservative organizations and journals. The primary documents are supplemented by introductions which set the historical context and offer illuminating commentary on how conservatism shifted identity over the course of modern American history.
Review
“A significant scholarly endeavor to better comprehend the specific constitutional criteria that have been used regarding freedom of religion and the Establishment clause in the US.”
- Law and Politics Book Review,
Review
“An outstanding contribution to the scholarly debates on the interpretation of the First Amendment religion clauses. [Ravitchs] biting critical analyses of the currently popular principles of neutrality and liberty are especially important.”
-Stephen M. Feldman,editor of Law and Religion: A Critical Anthology
Review
“A significant scholarly endeavor to better comprehend the specific constitutional criteria that have been used regarding freedom of religion and the Establishment clause in the US.”
“An outstanding contribution to the scholarly debates on the interpretation of the First Amendment religion clauses. [Ravitch’s] biting critical analyses of the currently popular principles of neutrality and liberty are especially important.”
“Masters of Illusion is filled with penetrating analysis and original insights about freedom of religion. Ravitch’s discussions of neutrality, sex education, religious symbols, and his proposal for handling freedom of religion issues are particularly valuable.”
“Part legal history and part recommendations for future strategies, Courting Change is a fascinating study of LGBT family law.”
Review
“Masters of Illusion is filled with penetrating analysis and original insights about freedom of religion. Ravitchs discussions of neutrality, sex education, religious symbols, and his proposal for handling freedom of religion issues are particularly valuable.”
-Steven H. Shiffrin,author of Dissent, Injustice, and the Meanings of America
Review
“Part legal history and part recommendations for future strategies, Courting Change is a fascinating study of LGBT family law.”
-Bay Windows,
Review
“Gregory Schneiders Conservatism in American since 1930 is the best collection of conservative writings available today. Including every major conservative statement worth reading, this is a book that will be read and reread.”
-Donald T. Critchlow,Saint Louis University
Review
“All the greats—Buckley, Hayek, Kirk, Friedman, Reagan—are represented in the fine anthology edited by Gregory L. Schneider, and the gloves occasionally come off”
-National Review,
Review
“An ambitious book, chock-full of the learned and provocative writing that characterized the opposition party all throughout the strife-torn 20th century. It is brutally honest about the movement's current predicament.”
-The American Conservative,
Review
“Liberals and conservatives alike should have no trouble endorsing this anthology from 70 years of the conservative movement in the United States.”
-Library Journal,
Review
“In recent years, historians have discovered just how important an influence conservatism has been in the shaping of modern American culture and politics. Greg Schneider has been in the forefront of that effort, and he now provides us with a fascinating collection of readings that trace the evolution of conservative thought. His thoughtful selection of materials and his instructive commentary bring alive the history of a significant intellectual and political tradition. A first-rate achievement.”
-Robert M. Collins,University of Missouri, Columbia
Synopsis
Many legal theorists and judges agree on one major premise in the field of law and religion: that religion clause jurisprudence is in a state of disarray and has been for some time. In
Masters of Illusion, Frank S. Ravitch provocatively contends that both hard originalism (a strict focus on the intent of the Framers) and neutrality are illusory in religion clause jurisprudence, the former because it cannot live up to its promise for either side in the debate and the latter because it is simply impossible in the religion clause context. Yet these two principles have been used in almost every Supreme Court decision addressing religion clause questions.
Ravitch unpacks the various principles of religion clause interpretation, drawing on contemporary debates such as school prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments on courthouses, to demonstrate that the neutrality principle does not work in a pluralistic society. When defined by large, overarching principles of equality and liberty, neutrality fails to account for differences between groups and individuals. If, however, the Court drew on a variety of principles instead of a single notion of neutrality to decide whether or not laws facilitated or discouraged religious practices, the result could be a more equitable approach to religion clause cases.
Synopsis
Many legal theorists and judges agree on one major premise in the field of law and religion: that religion clause jurisprudence is in a state of disarray and has been for some time. In
Masters of Illusion, Frank S. Ravitch provocatively contends that both hard originalism (a strict focus on the intent of the Framers) and neutrality are illusory in religion clause jurisprudence, the former because it cannot live up to its promise for either side in the debate and the latter because it is simply impossible in the religion clause context. Yet these two principles have been used in almost every Supreme Court decision addressing religion clause questions.
Ravitch unpacks the various principles of religion clause interpretation, drawing on contemporary debates such as school prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments on courthouses, to demonstrate that the neutrality principle does not work in a pluralistic society. When defined by large, overarching principles of equality and liberty, neutrality fails to account for differences between groups and individuals. If, however, the Court drew on a variety of principles instead of a single notion of neutrality to decide whether or not laws facilitated or discouraged religious practices, the result could be a more equitable approach to religion clause cases.
About the Author
Frank S. Ravitch is Professor of Law at Michigan State University College of Law. He is the author of School Prayer and Discrimination, Law and Religion, A Reader: Cases, Concepts and Theory, and Employment Discrimination Law.