Origins of the Conservative Ascendancy: Barry Goldwater's Early Senate Career and the De-legitimization of Organized Labor.

GOLDWATER, Barry M. (Barry Morris), 1909-1998; CONSERVATISM; CONSCIENCE of a Conservative, The (Book : Goldwater); LIBERALISM; UNITED States politics & government; LIBERTARIANISM; TWENTIETH century; HISTORY of liberalism

This article examines the early career of former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. Goldwater wrote an influential book of conservative ideology in 1960 called "The Conscience of a Conservative." His legacy has changed over time and his emphasis on libertarianism is at odds with contemporary religious conservatism. Goldwater emphasized his distrust of organized labor to build a movement against the policies of the New Deal. Goldwater framed his message as one of individualism, where the solidarity preached by unions became un-American.