Congratulations Mr. Tucker on your new book! Why did you decide to write Conservative Heroes: Fourteen Leaders Who Shaped America, from Jefferson to Reagan?
Conservative Heroes is a book about conservatism and conservative leaders. I wrote it primarily for conservatives—especially young conservatives—with the hope that they will sharpen their perception of what conservatism is and enhance their understanding of the historical perspective. The book begins with a definition of conservatism, its five basic tenets, and then moves in chronological order through the lives of fourteen leaders.
Some of these leaders are well known, while others will be hardly known at all to most readers—but all fourteen men contributed significantly to the development of American conservatism. Examining these leaders allows one to bring the foundational principles of conservatism into sharper relief and to see how those principles have been put into action over time.
A prevailing myth asserts that there is no American conservative tradition and that America has always operated under a liberal consensus. But as you argue, conservatism is “as old as the Republic itself.” Please explain.
By beginning at the nation’s founding with Jefferson and Madison, I believe the book shows that conservatism is “as old as the Republic itself.” The common thread from Jefferson through Ronald Reagan is a belief in the basic conservative tenets. While each of the fourteen leaders was faced with different circumstances and issues of the day, each held the same conservative philosophy which guided his actions and writings.
Source: Christopher N. Malagisi, http://townhall.com/