Barry Goldwater and the Remaking of the American Political Landscape

Nearly four million Americans worked on Barry Goldwater’s behalf in the presidential election of 1964. These citizens were as dedicated to their cause as those who fought for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. Arguably, the conservative agenda that began with Goldwater has had effects on American politics and society as profound and far reaching as the liberalism of the 1960s. According to the essays in this volume, it’s high time for a reconsideration of Barry Goldwater’s legacy. Since Goldwater’s death in 1998, politicians, pundits, and academics have been assessing his achievements and his shortcomings. The twelve essays in this volume thoroughly examine the life, times, and impact of “Mr. Conservative.” Scrutinizing the transformation of a Phoenix department store owner into a politician, de facto political philosopher, and five-time US senator, contributors highlight the importance of power, showcasing the relationship between the nascent conservative movement’s cadre of elite businessmen, newsmen, and intellectuals and their followers at the grassroots—or sagebrush—level. Goldwater, who was born in the Arizona Territory in 1909, was deeply influenced by his Western upbringing. With his appearance on the national stage in 1964, he not only articulated a new brand of conservatism but gave a voice to many Americans who were not enamored with the social and political changes of the era. He may have lost the battle for the presidency, but he energized a coalition of journalists, publishers, women’s groups, and Southerners to band together in a movement that reshaped the nation. Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part I. Goldwater's Arizona and Arizona's Goldwater -- 1. The Conscience of a Conservationist: Barry Goldwater and the Colorado River, Andrew Needham -- 2. Drafting a Movement: Barry Goldwater and the Rebirth of the Arizona Republican Party, Elizabeth Tandy Shermer -- 3. Southwestern Strategy: Mexican Americans and Republican Politics in the Arizona Borderlands, Micaela Anne Larkin -- Part II. The Goldwater Moment -- 4. Getting to Goldwater: Robert A. Taft, William F. Knowland, and the Rightward Drift of the Republican Party, Michael Bowen -- 5. The Dealers and the Darling: Conservative Media and the Candidacy of Barry Goldwater, Nicole Hemmer -- 6. Goldwater in Dixie: Race, Region, and the Rise of the Right, Joseph Crespino -- 7. Goldwater's "Moral Mothers": Miscalculations of Gender in the 1964 Republican Presidential Campaign, Michelle Nickerson -- Part III. Beyond 1964 and Goldwater Conservatism -- 8. Phoenix's Cowboy Conservatives in Washington, Elizabeth Tandy Shermer -- 9. Green Goldwater: Barry Goldwater, Federal Environmentalism, and the Transformation of Modern Conservatism, Brian Allen Drake -- 10. Time Is an Elusive Companion: Jesse Helms, Barry Goldwater, and the Dynamic of Modern Conservatism, William A. Link -- Afterword: Barry Goldwater in History and Memory, Robert Alan Goldberg -- About the Contributors -- Index Cover Title Page, Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Conscience of a Conservationist: Barry Goldwater and the Colorado River 2. Drafting a Movement: Barry Goldwater and the Rebirth of the Arizona Republican Party 3. Southwestern Strategy: Mexican Americans and Republican Politics in the Arizona Borderlands 4. Getting to Goldwater: Robert A. Taft, William F. Knowland, and the Rightward Drift of the Republican Party 5. The Dealers and the Darling: Conservative Media and the Candidacy of Barry Goldwater 6. Goldwater in Dixie: Race, Region, and the Rise of the Right 7. Goldwater’s “Moral Mothers”: Miscalculations of Gender in the 1964 Republican Presidential Campaign 8. Phoenix’s Cowboy Conservatives in Washington 9. Green Goldwater: Barry Goldwater, Federal Environmentalism, and the Transformation of Modern Conservatism 10. Time Is an Elusive Companion: Jesse Helms, Barry Goldwater, and the Dynamic of Modern Conservatism Afterword: Barry Goldwater in History and Memory About the Contributors Index