Resistance from the Right

“A thoroughly researched, revelatory political history with abundant relevance for today. . . . Shepherd presents compelling evidence for the ways that these groups, although a minority on campus, have exerted long-lasting influence.”—Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review)

“A sobering and rigorous work of history, one with significant ramifications for the present. . . . Shepherd’s account is a powerful corrective, a compelling narrative, and a frankly frightening parable.”—Jacobin

“Thanks to a nearly century-long campaign by right-leaning pundits, writers, commentators, and media celebrities, the phrase ‘campus activism’ is almost exclusively associated with the political left. Shepherd shows us that this is only part of the story.”—The Atlantic

“As Shepherd argues in her book, the rise of the ‘campus right’ isn’t just an important part of the history of higher education—it’s also crucial for understanding the development of the modern republican party.”—Politico

“Any organization founded by William F. Buckley and M. Stanton Evans is not going to be supportive of free speech. As historian Lauren Lassabe Shepherd documents in Resistance from the Right, Young Americans for Freedom has been characterized from the start as a group of extremely pampered establishment scions who are prone to both self-pity and deploying their social and legal power to silence their political enemies.”—Jeet Heer, The Nation

“Joining a robust body of literature about sixties conservatism, . . . Resistance from the Right reminds readers that the clashes over free speech, academic codes, and lawful assembly currently roiling American campuses are rooted in the recent past.”—North Carolina Historical Review

“Resistance From The Right offers something far more interesting, significant, and telling, a portrait of a relatively small number of conservative students proclaiming themselves the voice of a majority while actively engaged in conflicts among themselves and with an active student left, which was also small and divided.”—American Historical Review

“Resistance from the Right confidently places conservative thinkers and sponsors in conversation with students in an effort to reveal the expanse of the cultural battlefield of higher education. Shepherd’s meticulous and timely book highlights the right in the history of student activism.”—Stefan M. Bradley, Amherst College

“Strong, unique, and well researched, this book addresses a major gap in the studies of American higher education in the protest era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Digging deeply into a range of conservative organizations and actors, Shepherd offers a refreshing conversation about student activism in the late 1960s.”—Linda Eisenmann, Wheaton College

“Resistance from the Right places the campus conservatives of the late 1960s where they belong: not as a mere footnote, not as a mere quirk, but as a central formative part of American conservatism in the late twentieth century. This book is an absolute must read for anyone hoping to understand either American conservatism or American higher education.”—Adam Laats, author of Fundamentalist U: Keeping the Faith in American Higher Education