Claim: Ayn Rand opposed control of economic policy.

American Conservatism is a broad system of political beliefs in the United States that is characterized by respect for American traditions , support for Judeo-Christian values , economic liberalism , anti-communism , advocacy of American exceptionalism , and a defense of Western culture from threats posed by `` creeping socialism '' , moral relativism , multiculturalism and liberal internationalism . Liberty is a core value , with a particular emphasis on strengthening the free market , limiting the size and scope of government , and opposition to high taxes and government or labor union encroachment on the entrepreneur . American conservatives consider individual liberty , within the bounds of conformity to American values , as the fundamental trait of democracy , which contrasts with modern American liberals , who generally place a greater value on equality and social justice .   American conservatism originated from classical liberalism of 18th and 19th centuries , which advocates civil liberties and political freedom with representative democracy under the rule of law and emphasizes economic freedom .   Historians argue that the conservative tradition has played a major role in American politics and culture since the 1790s . However they have stressed that an organized conservative movement has played a key role in politics only since the 1950s . The recent movement is based in the Republican Party , though some Democrats were also important figures early in the movement 's history .   The history of American conservatism has been marked by tensions and competing ideologies . Fiscal conservatives and libertarians favor small government involvement in the economy , a flat tax , limited regulation , and free enterprise . Social conservatives see traditional social values as threatened by secularism ; they tend to support voluntary school prayer and oppose abortion and same sex marriage . Some also want the teaching of intelligent design or creationism allowed , as the topics are currently judicially prohibited in public schools . The 21st century has seen an increasingly fervent conservative support for Second Amendment rights of private citizens to own firearms . Neoconservatives want to expand American ideals throughout the world . Paleoconservatives advocate restrictions on immigration , non-interventionist foreign policy , and stand in opposition to multiculturalism . Nationwide most factions , except some libertarians , support a unilateral foreign policy , and a strong military . The conservative movement of the 1950s attempted to bring together these divergent strands , stressing the need for unity to prevent the spread of `` godless communism . ''   William F. Buckley Jr. , in the first issue of his magazine National Review in 1955 , explained the standards of his magazine and helped make explicit the beliefs of American conservatives :