When I first began work on the Twelve Points, in early 2008, I searched libraries and the internet alike to find any existing statements of conservative principles that I could use for inspiration. Other than the Sharon Statement and a list of principles written by Russell Kirk (and, in a different form, a number of classic National Review articles available through the NR website) there was very little to be found on the internet. In libraries, predictably, the information took the form of books, not concise statements of the philosophy, observations, or objectives of conservatism. Fortunately, this gave me a reason to read volumes upon volumes of writing on both conservatism and the American Revolution.
However, it also meant that this information and these ideas were locked away where, realistically, most people would never find them. It also meant that an important step in writing the Twelve Points would be to extract those ideas and prepare them for delivery to conservatives across this continent. As months passed, my note-taking rapidly consumed the pads of lined, yellow paper on which I recorded the ideas that I read, along with ideas of my own that my reading inspired. When I was satisfied with the information that I had found, I integrated the notes into my March 2008 First Draft of the Twelve Points.
As 2009 began, I still was not satisfied with my latest drafts of the Twelve Points. I still was unable to find conservative statements of principles on the internet, but I did find information on the American Revolution that I had not been aware was even available. Using the website of the Library of Congress and Yale's "Avalon Project" collection of historical documents, I was able to closely examine the writings of America's Founders, other contemporary accounts of the Revolution, and information on the constitutions and forms of government that had been used in the Founders' own recent history (of which they would have been aware as they worked to shape what is now our own history). At some point, I had previously assumed that now, in the Twenty-First Century, we are left with relatively little first-hand documentation of the Revolutionary Era, but for my purposes, the amount and the types of the information were so rich and complete that I couldn't have found much more of value if these events had been only a few decades ago! (For example, I would not have suspected that the journals of the Second Continental Congress are available to be read -- but they are.) This study, too, had an impact on the Twelve Points, and I am glad that I was given a reason to find and study that history.
I finally completed my work on the Twelve Points on July 2, 2009, but it may not have been soon enough. Now, in 2010, a Google Search for "Statement of Conservative Principles" returns no shortage of results. I have also learned that next Wednesday, on February 17, 2010, a group of 80 prominent conservatives will release a statement of their own, the Mount Vernon Statement, intended as a successor to the Sharon Statement. I have known about this for a few months, but since it has not been released, yet, I have not had the opportunity to read it. Knowing what I do about a few of the people behind it, I suspect (and hope) that it will be an excellent statement of conservative principles. Nonetheless, the possibility that it will fill the void that the Twelve Points were meant to occupy means that I may have to re-think the role of the Twelve Points.
Though nothing is certain, yet -- we have not even had the opportunity to read the Mount Vernon Statement, after all -- I have not forgotten that the Twelve Points are a part and a product of a larger project for the reclamation of popular conservatism. Over two years ago, I made a list of projects that I thought were needed and that I intended to pursue, and writing a "'Seven Points' -like list concerning the main points" was only the first item on my list. After completing the Twelve Points, I have consistently acknowledged that popularizing an appropriate statement of principles would only be a beginning; if we do adopt an adequate statement of principles to focus the conservative movement, we will still have to answer the question, "How can all of this be done?" The statement of principles will only have told us what "all of this" actually is -- an important step, but still only a beginning.
I also have not forgotten that the process of writing the Twelve Points has left me with so much extra material that if I were to decide to use the Twelve Points as a foundation, building something larger and more elaborate upon them, I will already have done most of the work that would be needed. One draft of the Twelve Points was twice as long as the final version, and as my editing involved the continuous addition and subtraction of sub-points, the Twelve Points are far shorter than the collection of material that was "cut" from the final draft -- material that I wanted to include but that just wouldn't fit. Additionally, I made notes on many ideas that I never attempted to introduce into the Twelve Points. I have no shortage of conservative ideas that I have already drafted, and I had already intended to put it to use in the future.
Regardless of what we learn on Wednesday, there will be plenty of work left for us in restoring the conservative movement, and the Twelve Points will be ready to help.
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