The Conscience of a Conservative

by Barry Goldwater, CC Goldwater (Editor), Robert F. Kennedy (Afterword), George F. Will (Foreword by), Sean Wilentz (Introduction)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798228705395
Publisher:	Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:	06/20/2026
Series:	The James Madison Library in American Politics , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Barry Goldwater (1909–1998) was a five-term United States senator from Arizona whose 1964 campaign for president is credited with reviving American conservatism. His books include With No Apologies and a memoir, Goldwater.

CC Goldwater is the granddaughter of Barry Goldwater and the producer of the HBO documentary Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is the son of R. F. K. A political activist, he has spent his life fighting for the environment, spending more than thirty years as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper, and president of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law. A former assistant district attorney for New York City, he is the coauthor of The Riverkeepers: Two Activists Fight to Reclaim Our Environment as a Basic Human Right.

George F. Will is an award-winning writer and commentator. He writes a twice-weekly column that is syndicated in over 450 newspapers, as well as a biweekly column in Newsweek.

Sean Wilentz is a professor of American history at Princeton University. He is the author of The Age of Reagan and The Rise of American Democracy, which received the coveted Bancroft Prize. The historian-in-residence for Bob Dylan’s official Website, he has also received a Deems Taylor Award for musical commentary and a Grammy nomination for his liner notes to Bootleg Series, Vol. 6: Bob Dylan, Live 1964: The Concert at Philharmonic Hall.

Table of Contents

General Editor's Introduction     vii
Foreword   George F. Will     ix
Preface     xxi
The Conscience of a Conservative     1
The Perils of Power     7
States' Rights     17
And Civil Rights     25
Freedom for the Farmer     33
Freedom for Labor     39
Taxes and Spending     53
The Welfare State     63
Some Notes on Education     71
The Soviet Menace     81
Afterword   Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.     121
Index     139

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"For a man who proudly described himself as 'simple,' Barry Goldwater remains a historical puzzle." —-Angus Burgin, The New York Sun

Editorial Reviews

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.”

Los Angeles Times  David Ulin

The new Conscience of a Conservative takes what might be called the ‘anti-fusionist’ side in the Goldwater wars…The Conscience of a Conservative continues to be read today because it isn’t a political tract, a soulless campaign book of the sort generated by every other modern presidential effort.”

The American Conservative Daniel McCarthy

It is good that CC Goldwater brings us this new edition. It directs new attention to a political figure who, though fiery, was never mean-spirited or unfairly partisan.”

European Legacy Max J. Skidmore

For a man who proudly described himself as 'simple,' Barry Goldwater remains a historical puzzle.

The New York Sun Angus Burgin

"For a man who proudly described himself as 'simple,' Barry Goldwater remains a historical puzzle." ---Angus Burgin, The New York Sun

From the Publisher