As the rearguard holds the important role of protecting an army when advancing or retreating, the new guard is tasked with preventing the army from sliding into retreat and preparing it for an advance. However, before one can advance in any cause or fight, it is imperative that one understands the why before it can implement the how.
Education, a battleground for more than a century, has seen many losses and a few gains during America’s 248 year existence. For those who consider themselves Conservative, endeavoring to persevere in 21st century private, public, or other alternative education, the why and how are more important than ever in 2024.
But what does “Conservative” mean? What does “Education” mean? What is a Conservative Education supposed to be? These are all questions worth pausing to address; however,the first two must be understood before proceeding to the third.
When considering a definition for a conservative, it is worth going to the American source: Dr. Russell Kirk. Dr. Kirk, a Michigan native, would eventually complete graduate studies at St. Andrews in Scotland, and among the important writings he would undertake, his doctoral dissertation titled The Conservative Mind sparked widespread societal discourse. This magnum opus has inspired American political thought since 1953 and prompted many to begin calling themselves Conservatives, rather than pre-existing political affiliations such as Republican and Democrat. Another book that would come four years later, Concise Guide to Conservatism, provides a more succinct definition of the the word:
Conservative leaders, ever since Burke and Adams, have subscribed to certain general ideas that we may set down, briefly, by way of definition. Conservatives distrust what Burke called “abstractions” — that is, absolute political dogmas divorced from practical experience and particular circumstances. They do believe, nevertheless, in the existence of certain abiding truths which govern the conduct of human society.
While Kirk proceeds to list 10 chief principles, which he defines further in the book, three are most relevant to our purposes: the principle of holding the past and its study in high regard, the principle of maintaining true community, and the principle that “men and women are not perfectible.”
In the book, principle six briefly explains what Edmund Burke said of the past, “The individual is foolish, but the species is wise.” Kirk continues:
The conservative believes that we need to guide ourselves by the moral traditions, the social experience, and the whole complex body of knowledge bequeathed to us by our ancestors. The conservative appeals beyond the rash opinion of the hour to what Chesterton called “the democracy of the dead” —that is, the considered opinions of the wise men and women who died before our time, the experiences of the race. The conservative, in short, knows he was not born yesterday.
Before elaborating on conservatism, let us also consider how it differentiates from Republicanism.
One of the chief differences between the two can be easily acknowledged by taking a closer look at the roots of the Republican party. Founded in direct response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the party drew many antislavery components from other prominent political parties at the time, namely Democratic, Whig, and Free-Soil parties. Within just two years, it had become the second largest party in the country, rivaling the Democratic Party, and was also the first example of a U.S. national party that had taken an explicitly anti-slavery principle.
Conservatism also shares a disdain for slavery, which is an affront to the idea that “all men are created equal,” but unlike the Republican party, is not a reactionary party. Instead, Conservatives place eminence on seeking the wisdom of the dead, not merely from former peers in their generation, but also those that existed centuries before their time.
Conservatives’ beliefs regarding education stem not only from the land they inhabit, but also their own origin story. These beliefs then manifest in paying proper homage and gratitude to those who came before, so that they may “plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
