America The Strong

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Conservatism in America the Strong by William Bennett and John Cribb
In the book America the Strong: Conservative Ideas to Spark the Next Generation, William Bennett and John Cribb present their idea on the meaning of conservatism. The authors argue that conservatism is an act of preserving the best values in the society and learning from the past while also taking into consideration new ideas. The idea of conservatism as presented in the book is one that is responsible for enhancing the societal livelihoods and the state through various concepts including free enterprise, limited government, and individual liberty.
The concept of free enterprise is a form of marketing system that is closely linked to personal liberties. Rather than looking at capitalism as a market enterprise system, the authors attempt to explain how this system contributes to the liberty that Americans enjoy. This economic and personal freedom occurs because people in the society benefit from the opportunity to obtain property and thus “enjoy the fruits of their own labor” (Bennett and Cribb 4). The benefit of competition is that it contributes to better and innovative products for the masses. The authors are not privy to the fact that capitalism has challenges that include excessive materialism but reckon that this is the best system towards conservatism. The concept of individual liberty extends to include all other freedoms and not simply tied to marketing systems.

Individual liberty is the other concept of conservatism that the book attempts to address. The authors argue that there are certain rights that individuals are born with and the state’s function is to protect them. The responsibility that comes with the right to liberty is huge and individuals should take caution against misusing their personal freedom. This liberty is not absolutely free considering that there are limitations especially when it comes to how individuals relate to each other (Bennett and Cribb 4). Certain virtues including self-restraint and honor should drive the decisions and actions of individuals so as not to infringe on the rights of others. The book envisions that the current generation should learn these values so that they could be able to recognize the value of conservatism and not associate it with an attempt to stick to the past societal attitudes.
The political philosophy of limited government is one that is required in order to achieve the aforementioned concepts of individual liberty and free enterprise. This concept, according to the authors is one that restricts the government from interfering with the freedom that individuals enjoy. The state serves an important function of enforcing the law and that individuals have access to equal opportunities to better themselves and their societies. In other words, the function of the state is to provide a better environment for its citizens to enjoy their God-given and state rights. This concept does not imply that the state should serve a limited function in terms of how it exercises its rule. The authors recognize that a limited government should also be powerful enough especially when it comes to protecting the rights of its citizens and prevent others from interfering with them.
In conclusion, therefore, Bennett and Cribb redefine the concept of conservatism arguing that it is a far cry from holding on to past ideologies. Rather, it involves learning from the past and using this knowledge to better the society through concepts such as individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise system.
Works Cited
Bennett, William J, and John T. E. Cribb. America the Strong: Conservative Ideas to Spark the Next Generation. , 2015.