So but you know, it is the way we were brought up some socalled standardized english was what we spoke. It was not surprising to me. I am getting a wrap sign. You want to see the debate. Take two more. Okay. Beautiful woman in the back. You mentioned in the beginning that you grew up in terms of class and then structuring class and class, upperclass, lowerclass. Are you surprised that today most we still live in that manner, especially with a lot of gentrification that is going on now. No. No. America is so riddled and it is not just america, america, my god. But it has always been, you know, hierarchical, class based. It is always pretending not to be. America is so strange. We can become donald trump, but we need to move. Prove yourself and dominate whether its money or other kinds of power. That is what this country is you. You know, i am not surprised at all, and there is not any group, some of his members havewhose members have not grasped for that and found it and dont use it. Well, and i know a lot of you have questions. The beauty of this event is that ms. Margo jefferson will be signing books. She is not going anywhere. I just want to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful questions. Thank you for this book. [applause] have a good evening. [applause] good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. Welcome. And a speciala special welcome to those watching us on cspan. Book tv today. I am donna martinez. Our mission is to help policymakers and the public grow in their understanding and embrace of freedom and free market. We are committed to this work because Research Shows that these principles represent the best pathway to Economic Growth and prosperity for every person regardless of background, regardless of circumstances. You can find out more about our work. We are delighted to have with us today entrepreneur and author garland tucker telling us about some of our countrys great conservative leaders, leaders who embrace the principles that i have described in this helped propel our country forward, leaders featured in his latest book conservative heroes, 14 l reshaped america from jefferson to reagan. This will be on sale for our in person guests following his presentation. In addition to being a bestselling author and historian garland tucker was also a highly successful entrepreneur who founded Triangle Capital corporation, publicly traded Company Based in raleigh, North Carolina. Its pres. , ceo, and german. He also. He also holds a ba from washington and Lee University and an mba from Harvard Business school. I am very honored to introduce to you the author of conservative heroes, 14 liters who shaped america , and jefferson to reagan, garland tucker. [applause] thank you. Thank you all for coming. 14 liters who shaped america from jefferson to reagan, so we have a lot to cover today. In introducing the book i have used a quote from secretary of war newton baker. He made this you wrote this to one of his friends late in his career. He was looking back on his career as a conservative, and this was the quote. I was one of the faithful band fighting a battle for philosophy as old as the republic itself. So the book begins with the definition of american conservatism which ii would offer to you is a philosophy as old as the republic itself. It in trace the development and implementation through 200 years of american history. This faithful band, in this case the team leaders. Some of these leaders are very well known, obviously jefferson is the 1st one mentioned. But some of them are not well not all and are, in fact, relatively obscure just an aside on this, i think one of the fun things about writing this book was i got to pick my own 14 euros. As amity slade said in her very fine forward for the book she said, not everybody would have picked the same 14. I would say that is okay. I am hoping this will spark some debate. As youdebate. As you read the book you may want to add some of your own heroes or you may even want to pull some out,out, some of money you dont like as much. I hope it spark some debate. In examining these leaders it allows us to bring the foundational principles of conservatism and a sharper belief and see how those principles have been put into action over time. I begin with a look at what i would suggest the basic tenants of conservatism, and i suggest that there are five concepts that are foundational. I really believe most conservatives would agree with these five concepts. There are others that could have been added, but i think these are pretty basic. And while this is not necessarily an exhaustive list, again, i think most conservatives would be comfortable with these. The 1st concept that i would offer is what i call a realistic view of human nature. Let me explain what, i mean, by that. Our conservatives believe that there is nothing in Human History that would suggest that man is perfectible. Left to his own devices, man tends to revert to violence, dissolution, aggression, Patrick Henry and other founders often wrote of the depravity of human nature, and this view of human nature keeps conservatives from accepting the progressive notion that mankind is somehow inevitably advancing and getting better. Progressives would suggest that mankind is perfectible and,and, in fact, that government is the means to achieve that perfection. Conservatives just do not agree with that. And we think there is plenty of intrinsic evidence out theyre that would suggest otherwise. Conservatives believe the American Republic was founded not to reform human nature but rather to establish boundaries within which human nature my flourish. Now, the 2nd principle, because of mans fallen nature, the primary roles of government are just too. Number one is to establish order, and number two, to preserve liberty. The conservative believes that our liberty is not granted by the government but is godgiven and therefore up to the government to help preserve the liberty. Itit is fair to say there is a definite tension between these roles, and a, and in general the conservative would advocate the maximum degree of personal liberty while maintaining the most basic level of order. At the very beginning of the republic there was a real threat of anarchy, and this was something that the founders certainly feared. They did not want the new government to sink back into any form of anarchy. But at the same time, they recognized this threat of anarchy. They were wary of government encroaching and personal liberty. And so they were seeking a balance in this. And we will see in the 1st chapter of the book that that balance is addressed. The 3rd principle is closely linked to the 2nd. A conservative recognizes the two primary roles of government which i just mentioned, but conservatives stop at that point and say, there really is no 3rd full of government, no significant 3rd role of government. In other words, government should be limited. Jefferson spoke with most of the founders in his 1st inaugural address when he said these words, a wise and frugal government which shall restrain them from injuring one another shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government. The founders feared that any governmental power that extended beyond the barest protection of liberty could itself become a threat to liberty. The 4th point that i would offer as a basic tenant is that Property Rights and human rights are inseparable the founders were wellrounded inand john lockes views on the rights of property. So this particular thought certainly predates the american revolution. As paulas paul johnson has written come all of the founders derived from john locke the notion the security of ones property was intimately linked to ones freedom. The 5th and final point of conservatism or tenant of conservatism is that the social and political life of a community and a country depends upon private virtues, virtues that the individuals hold. The marxist critic Randall Hicks once wrote, the toy has always insisted that if men could cultivate the individual virtues than social problems would take care of themselves. There is more than a grain of truth in that. Edmund burke often called modern conservatism, what is liberty without wisdom and without virtue . It is the greatest of all possible evils. Conservatives throughout history have believed that virtues flow for a particular culture that individuals hold and in our case that culture is judeochristian virtue. So these are five fundamental concepts, identify these in the introductory chapter to the book. Again, almost all conservatives would agree at all five of these. The remainder of the book, the balance of the book, the big majority of the book deals with these 14 lives which is what i want to do today, ripped through those pretty quickly. We have a lot of ground to cover, and im going to try to do it quickly. Let me say up front that it will not do justice to any of these 14 liters. I encourage you. I hope that i can peak your interest a little bit and you will be interested in reading the book. If you read the book, hopefully you will want to pursue all 14 of these. There are good biographies of each of these men. That reminds me, let me say up front have gotten this question before why are none of the 14 women . And i was kind of i looked pretty hard and tried to work some way to get Margaret Thatcher in but could not figure out how she could fit in to the shaping of american history. It focuses very merrily on the 12 years before jeffersons election as president in 1800 medicine followed him. Obviously, there has been lots written on jefferson and plenty of medicine as well. There is nothing that i will offer that would be new but this chapter does two things. It ties the thesis that america conservative is as old and it anchors it back to the beginning of the republic. And by focusing on the 12 year period it is the best. Of the views and limited government. Jefferson and madison enjoyed a 50 year friendship. Literally 50 years. Their correspondence is voluminous. There are over 1200 letters, they wrote on all kinds of topics. There is plenty of material to look at. When you focus on these 12 years, these are the 12 years 12 years they were in the opposition opposing the Federalist Party and at that time it was the party of centralization and centralized government. Jefferson and madison were wrestling with the two primary purposes of government i mentioned here. The preservation of liberty. It is interesting to read their letters, they didnt see exactly i to i. Jefferson in general would come down more of the preservation and protection of individual liberty. Madison will will bit more the establishment of order. But on the relative scale of things they are both very much believers and limited government. Madison wrote these words, the essential characteristic of federal government could be composed of limited and enumerated powers. Later defenders of jefferson would quote a maximum of thomas jefferson. We think now he probably didnt say, but i think he would have claimed it that government at best is that which governs the least. That is the beginning of the book. It ties to the beginning of the due republic. The second chapter, two men who are considerably less wellknown. John randolph of virginia, with daniel makin of North Carolina. Out of curiosity, how many of you know about Nathaniel Macon . I know troy know troy does. A few hands went up. I think this was an interesting chapter as they are not very wellknown. I think they deserve to be wellknown than they are. In some ways makin and randolph were the quintessential political odd couple. They had a 30 year friendship which would spend their time in congress. Makin makin was from North Carolina, makin was from North Carolina. They shared lodging together in washington for 30 year period there are very close personally. Makin could be described as solid, cautious, reserved, even somewhat severe and socially very democratic. Very very down to earth. Randolph on the other hand, was brilliant, very volatile, spontaneous, socially aristocratic. They didnt exactly fit the same old. But they were very close friends. Under jefferson and madison administrations, makin and randolph started that. As leaders. Speaker of the house and leader in the house. It wasnt long before, and their view, and probably the view of most historians, jefferson and madison became a bit more more expansive in their view of limited government. Makin and randolph were determined to hang on to what they viewed as the principle of 1800 which they thought were the old republican philosophy. Russell kirk, a conservative thinker in the 1950s gives randolph in particular, also makin, a lot of credit for preserving those concepts of limited government. They were extremely consistent over the 30 years in office. Oftentimes very lonely. After makin was not elected speaker of the house and randolph was not reelected or not selected as leader of the house, they headed a faction that would involve the third things. They were the oldline, hardcore, jeffersonian republicans that thought jefferson got a bit too expensive in his views of government. A quick quote, russell kirk set of randolph that perhaps nothing in american political philosophy , more brilliant than John Randolph preaches. I would encourage you and there are some quotes in the book, if you have a chance go back and read some of them they are quite extraordinary. A couple of amusing things i makin, when he retired in 1828 it was said his nearly 40 years in congress, ten members gave negative votes, there bit of controversy in North Carolina. Makin probably still, although jesse helms is contending that maybe he had beaten makin out on that. Theres still some controversy. A close friend of makins one said, if mr. Makin should happen to be drowned, i should not look down the current for his body but up the stream. And finally jefferson wrote that with makins death the republic would mark the last of the romans. Both of of these men were very well regarded in the day. The third chapter is probably the most controversial of the 14 leaders. John c calhouns as amity slaves writes in her quote the support part of slavery has been enough to see him wiped out in childrens textbooks yet the omission leaves younger citizens in the dark about valuable history. I admit that amity slaves is right about that. I will always regret that calhoun was the defender of slavery. It is said that his career so overshadowed by that fact. His writings, for the majority of his career, or focus on paris, national bank, and other central themes and other plans and defensive slavery slavery came later in his career. Interestingly calhoun is cited in john f. Kennedys book for his courage and honesty. He is hailed as one of the truly great u. S. Senators. Again russell kirk recognized in calhoun and randolph the very beginnings of the american conservative tradition. From calhoun we will leap over the civil war and into the 1880s and will land on a figure who is not very well known as Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was the last conservative democrat who served as president. He hasnt got much credit from the democrats today. I would would suggest to the very formidable character. He weighed about 280 pounds, he had quite a figure. His rise to the presidency can only be described as meteoric. In three short years he went from being a mediocre lawyer in buffalo, to merit buffalo, to governor of new york, to president of the united states. There is a quote in a letter from cleveland to one of his friends that he had been in the white house a few months and i still wake up and rub my eyes and say can i possibly be here . Its just to much to imagine. In three short years. His main biographer wrote, in some ways cleveland was an ordinary man but he imposed himself upon his time in a way that note mediocre man could for a moment have done. He was a reformer and a era of post civil war. He saw a lot of what we call phony capitalism today. It is interesting that in that part of the Republican Party was a party of centralized government. Cleveland was the only democrat elected between the civil war and Woodrow Wilson. He came in with some very basic jeffersonian views of limited government. He was screw previously honest and he was very good at preserving personal liberty. He was relentless in his pursuit of economy and limited government. He had over 500 vetoes which is still a record. Most of those were spending bills. I will read you just these few words, this is from one of his veto messages in 1887. Quote, tendency to disregard the president s should be step that and resistant to the end that the lesson should constantly be enforced that though the people support the government, the government should not support the people. It is a, that conservatives everywhere can agree on. From cleveland we jump over to the progressive era, the era of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson at the high side of american progressivism in 1912 election. We landed the middle of the 1920s and the next figures Calvin Coolidge and andrew mellon. I would summit that coolidge was the most successful conservative president in history. Mellon was his key partner in that. Let me explain why i would say that. Coolidge and mellon record can boast several things. They vastly reduce taxes, they instituted significant tax reform and a marginal income tax rate from over 70 to below 25 . With federal regulation ignited an economic boom and finally, this is most critical, they reduce the size of the federal government. That last point is the point that the first points couldve been said about reagan and the last point was one of reagans objectives but because republicans do not control congress he was not able to reduce the size of the federal government. Coolidge actually did all those things. He was a very successful president of the very popular president. One of the interesting concepts in the chapter and this was covered a good bit in the press during coolidges time. Coolidge not only believes in economy and government, he was very vocal about what he saw as the moral reasons for it. A famous quote from him was i favor the policy of economy not because i wish to save money, but because i wish to s