National Review

National Review
source
Title	National Review
Editor	William F. Buckley Jr.
Editor title	Founding editor
Category	Political magazine
Frequency	Biweekly (historical)
Founder	William F. Buckley Jr. and John Oakes
Founded	1955
Country	United States
Based	New York City
Language	English

National Review

National Review is an American conservative editorial magazine founded in 1955 that shaped postwar right–of–center discourse. Established by William F. Buckley Jr., it served as a forum for conservative ideas about federalism, constitutionalism, and social order, influencing debates connected to the US Civil Rights Movement by articulating conservative perspectives on race, integration, and federal legislation. Its significance lies in framing conservative responses to landmark events and statutes during the civil rights era.

Origins and Founding

National Review was founded in 1955 in New York City by William F. Buckley Jr. with collaborator John Oakes and financial support from conservative patrons including Henry Luce-era magnates. Buckley recruited writers from institutions such as Yale University and Harvard University, creating a coalition that included future figures associated with The Heritage Foundation and the modern conservative movement. The magazine's stated mission was to counter the influence of both postwar liberalism associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt's successors and the leftist intellectual currents of the Cold War. Early contributors included Frank Meyer, William Rusher, and Ludwig von Mises scholars who emphasized tradition, market economics, and a restrained federal state.

Editorial Stance and Political Influence

National Review promoted a synthesis of traditional conservatism, free‑market economics, and staunch anti‑communism. It articulated positions on federalism and the Constitution of the United States that emphasized states' rights and limited federal power. The magazine helped professionalize the conservative movement by connecting activists, editorial networks, think tanks such as American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation, and politicians like Barry Goldwater and later Ronald Reagan. Through editorials and polemics the magazine influenced conservative policy debates on taxation, welfare, and judicial appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Coverage of Civil Rights Era (1950s–1960s)

National Review's coverage of the civil rights era combined constitutionalist arguments with concerns about social order and local governance. The magazine published critiques of landmark judicial decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States, including reactions to Brown v. Board of Education and subsequent desegregation orders. It regularly debated federal civil rights bills introduced in Congress, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, framing opposition or reservations in terms of federal overreach, property rights, and individual liberties. Columnists addressed events like the Montgomery bus boycott, the March on Washington, and the unrest in Birmingham, Alabama, often emphasizing order and gradualism over federally imposed remedies.

Critiques and Controversies Regarding Race and Integration

National Review faced criticism for positions and language that opponents described as insufficiently supportive of racial equality or too tolerant of segregationist arguments. Some critics pointed to editorials that prioritized states' rights and warned against rapid social engineering, aligning at times with figures in the Dixiecrat tradition or sympathetic to legal doctrines associated with Plessy v. Ferguson critics. Defenders argued the magazine sought to calibrate civil rights reforms within a framework of constitutional restraint and social stability. Debates within its pages included exchanges with conservative intellectuals who supported more active federal remedies, and clashes with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations like the NAACP.

Role in Shaping Conservative Responses to Civil Rights Legislation

National Review played a central role in shaping conservative legislative strategy by advising lawmakers, forming rhetorical frameworks, and mobilizing opinion among conservative activists. During the 1960s the magazine offered legal and philosophical critiques of civil rights statutes, advocating for narrow judicial interpretation and emphasizing the importance of incremental reform. It influenced conservative members of Congress, including supporters and critics of Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign, and contributed to the intellectual groundwork for later conservative jurisprudence that prioritized originalist readings of the United States Constitution and limitations on congressional enforcement powers under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Later Evolution: Post-1960s Positions and Legacy

After the 1960s, National Review continued to evolve, balancing its commitment to traditional values with engagement in national party politics. The magazine championed figures such as Ronald Reagan and promoted conservative positions on affirmative action, school busing, and welfare reform. It became an institutional node linking editorial influence to policy institutions like The Federalist Society and Hoover Institution scholars. National Review's legacy in the context of the civil rights era is contested: supporters credit it with defending constitutional order and fostering a stable conservative movement, while critics assert it impeded more rapid remedies to racial injustice. The magazine remains influential in contemporary debates over civil rights policy, constitutionalism, and national cohesion.

Category:Conservative magazines published in the United States Category:1955 establishments in New York City