Bestselling author, professor, and pundit Mallory Factor illuminates the conservative tradition in American politics with essays from leading figures in the conservative movement.

Ambitious in its breadth and depth, Big Tent provides a fresh and surprising treatment of the conservative movement as told by the leaders themselves. In this unique collection, which is based on Factor's star-studded course at The Citadel, conservative leaders explain how the movement developed as a powerful force in American politics, how it functions now with a wide range of viewpoints, and where it is going in the future. The origin of conservative ideas—from their ancient roots to their English origins, from the American Revolution to William F. Buckley, Alexis de Tocqueville to Barry Goldwater, and libertarianism to neo-conservatism—are revealed and examined in this compelling volume.

These illuminating essays include

Newt Gingrich on the political ideas surrounding the American Revolution; Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute on the emergence of libertarianism; Ed Meese on the Reagan Revolution; David Keene of the NRA on Buckley-style 'fusionism'; Phyllis Schlafly on the rise of the religious right; Donald Rumsfeld on the Bush administration's 'war on terror'; Rand Paul on the future of the conservative movement.Insightful and stimulating, Big Tent is an outstanding survey of the conservative movement from its most significant living figures.