In this writing intensive course we will explore the political history of the twentieth-century conservative movement in the United States. Starting with the critical election of 1896 and running through the election of Donald Trump, we will examine the different ways that conservative ideology has influenced U.S. political culture and came to define one of our major political parties. Our primary focus will be on the “ultraconservatives” a particular part of the larger movement that grew to power between the time of Joseph McCarthy and the election of Richard Nixon.