‘Mt. Vernon Statement’ of Conservative Principles Released to Public

America must return to “constitutional conservatism” and her founding principles, which have been “under sustained attack,” reads a statement to be signed on Wednesday by 80 leaders of the conservative movement. “We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding,” reads the document, entitled The Mt. Vernon Statement. “Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.” “These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people,” says the statement. “They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.” The full text of the document, to be signed at the Collingwood Library and Museum in Alexandria, Va., was released Wednesday morning. The public is invited to sign on as well. Collingwood was originally part of George Washington's (1732-1799) Mt. Vernon estate...read more