美國保守主義歷史

除了在19世紀60年代至70年代的短暫時期外，美國從未出現過一個名為保守黨的全國性政黨。美國有史以來所有的主要政黨都支持共和主義和美國建國之初所依靠的古典自由主義理想；強調自由、對幸福的追求、法治、被治者的同意、反對貴族階層與政治腐敗，再加上對法律之前人人平等的訴求。^[1]在歐洲人的眼裡，美國國內的政治分歧往往顯得微不足道。^[2]

事實上，曾沒有任何一個美國政黨提倡歐洲的保守主義理想，例如君主制、創立國教、世襲貴族等。相較之下，美國保守主義最突出的特徵是對烏托邦式的進步觀念的反對。^[3]以歷史學家派屈克·阿利特的話說，美國的保守派與自由派之間的區別並非在於政策，而是在於對社會問題的態度。^[4]

與加拿大和英國不同，美國從未有過名為保守黨的主要國家政黨。^[5]1867年成立的維吉尼亞保守黨曾在另外兩個州（馬里蘭州和北卡羅來納州）贏得了眾議院席位。1962年後，紐約州也出現了一個小型保守黨。在1860年代末的美國重建時期，前輝格黨人在南部幾個州成立了一個保守黨，但他們很快就併入了州民主黨。^[6]

參考資料

^ Harrison, Brigid C. Power and Society: An Introduction to the Social Sciences. Cengage Learning. January 1, 2016: 47–49 [30 March 2016]. ISBN 9781337025966. （原始內容存檔於2022-04-24）.
^ Arthur Aughey, Greta Jones, W. T. M. Riches, The Conservative Political Tradition in Britain and the United States (1992), p. 1: "there are those who advance the thesis that American exceptionalism means...there can be no American conservatism precisely because the American Revolution created a universally liberal society."
^ Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics, p. 114, "Conservative ideas are, thus, more genuine and profound than many critics suggest, but such unity as they have is purely negative, definable only by its opposition and rejection of abstract, universal, and ideal principles..."
^ Patrick Allitt, The Conservatives: Ideas and Personalities Throughout American History (Yale U.P. 2009), p. 278
^ Michael Kazin et al. eds. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History (2011) pp 117-28.
^ Jack P. Maddex Jr. The Virginia Conservatives, 1867-1879: A Study in Reconstruction Politics. University of North Carolina Press. 2018: 13 [2022-01-17]. ISBN 9781469648101. （原始內容存檔於2020-05-07）.

[1] Harrison, Brigid C. Power and Society: An Introduction to the Social Sciences. Cengage Learning. January 1, 2016: 47–49 [30 March 2016]. ISBN 9781337025966. （原始內容存檔於2022-04-24）.

[2] Arthur Aughey, Greta Jones, W. T. M. Riches, The Conservative Political Tradition in Britain and the United States (1992), p. 1: "there are those who advance the thesis that American exceptionalism means...there can be no American conservatism precisely because the American Revolution created a universally liberal society."

[3] Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics, p. 114, "Conservative ideas are, thus, more genuine and profound than many critics suggest, but such unity as they have is purely negative, definable only by its opposition and rejection of abstract, universal, and ideal principles..."

[4] Patrick Allitt, The Conservatives: Ideas and Personalities Throughout American History (Yale U.P. 2009), p. 278

[5] Michael Kazin et al. eds. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History (2011) pp 117-28.

[6] Jack P. Maddex Jr. The Virginia Conservatives, 1867-1879: A Study in Reconstruction Politics. University of North Carolina Press. 2018: 13 [2022-01-17]. ISBN 9781469648101. （原始內容存檔於2020-05-07）.

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