During a lecture in Germany, British philosopher Sir Roger Scruton described conservatism as a philosophy that recognizes and acknowledges that good things, such as law, peace, freedom, civility, and security of property and family life, are easily destroyed but not easily created. He contends that we depend on the cooperation of others for the aforementioned to exist because we have no means or ability to single handedly attain it. He stated that “the work of destruction is quick, easy and exhilarating” while “the work of creation is slow, laborious and dull.”

For African Americans, the journey from captivity and slavery to eventual freedom was indeed painful and laborious. The lives and the communities they once enjoyed were easily destroyed. There was a culture and a land that free Africans enjoyed before their captivity, which resulted, of course, in the complete dissolution of the known for the unknown that was justified based on the antiquated belief of ethnic superiority.

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The decision to destroy and tear families apart goes against the very fabric of preservation, which is at the core of conservatism. However, it was justified because the ability to systematically dominate a group with a different identity meant you could easily disregard that identity. Free labor equated to creating wealth, expansion, and material gain as objectives that made it simple to disregard their humanity.

Despite the total destruction of their peace, freedom, security, and families, slaves had the will to seek their own preservation. They needed to conserve as much of their culture as possible, although over time, their reality would demand the development of a new one that was necessary for their ongoing survival in a modern world. Out of their historic struggle was born “black conservatism” that became inherent to future generations. The emphasis came from their struggle and was a means by which they could preserve themselves and their heritage.

African Americans are the quintessential symbol of it means to be conservative. Beyond the fact that a great majority are socially conservative, a great majority also distrust the government because of hundreds of years of experience, and are skeptical of radical change because it tends to negatively and disproportionately impacted them. If you dive deeper, beyond politics, it is our discipline and perseverance since slavery, coupled with the need to conservice our tradition and culture as a community, that are not intrinsic values of the radical left but are the greatest examples of traditional conservatism.

The effectiveness of the radical left our country and its uncanny ability to usurp the natural ideological instincts of African Americans for their warped utopian views are the most significant threat to black progress. Under the false pretense of cultural and identity politics, the radical left has circumvented having to produce tangible results to holistically address the real concerns of African Americans. From abortion to the destruction of the family unit and personal responsibility, to the marginalization of faith, to the expansion of government, to the emasculation of black men, the radical left has slowly but steadily attempted to transform the identity of African Americans.

Liberalism is not inherent to the black experience today. Still, progressives using the Democratic Party as their apparatus have portrayed themselves as allies of African Americans in the midst of apparent Republican Party rejection, leaving African Americans with the unfortunate choice of voting for the left despite their values being disparate from their own. Black Americans have not benefited from their loyalty to the experimental beliefs of the left. When in power, the left has the ability to put a range of issues first, yet the interests of the black community are put last, while African Americans continue to pledge support to Democrats.

Progressivism has not benefited African Americans. They can no longer be indifferent to this failure and must return to their conservative roots. African Americans must be skeptical of both parties, while spreading their influence by voting, and enable the maximization of their political power, while preserving their interests. As Scruton accurately stated, it is easy to destroy, but to create is an arduous process. It is a process that slaves embarked on that is still going on today with the children of the historically oppressed. African Americans must be careful not to become entrapped by a party whose values are not in sync with their own.

That is not to say that Republican candidates should automatically get the African American vote because that trust must be earned, but African Americans can slowly dictate the future of the Republican Party by participating in selecting the best candidates who are representative of conservatism. Undoubtedly, this will turn the tide on the lily white conservatism that has hijacked the Republicans Party for decades.