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Not Hobbes, but Edmund Burke is generally (and correctly) regarded as the father of modern conservatism. His "Reflections On The Revolution In France" -- a denunciation of the violence and extremism of the French Revolution -- marks the split of the Enlightenment into reformist (conservative) and revolutionary (Leftist) camps.

Philosophically, socialism and communism can be traced back to the French Revolution, as can modern liberalism, with populist elements added based on American experience. Notably, the liberal idea of Progress harks back to Rousseau and the French Revolution in seeking to transform human nature into a better and purer form.

In contrast, Burke's ideals of prudence, reform, and the exercise of prescriptive rights guided by experience and faith are evident in the American Revolution and in the Constitution. The Revolution was grounded in the assertion of specific legal and political rights against the usurpation of the English Crown, with the Constitution later intended to secure those rights and liberty itself through limited, orderly self-government.

With that in mind, American conservatives correctly look to the country's founders and the Framers of the Constitution for inspiration. As they do, Burkean reasoning is evident. Federalist Number 10, for example, like Burke, takes a practical view of human nature instead of the romantic and revolutionary view adhered to by the Left and American liberals.

For further reading, I suggest Russell Kirk's "The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot."

Dr. Russell Kirk's "The Conservative Mind," as suggested by Rockingham, is a good start, and the suggestion of Edmund Burke is great--especially his 1775 "Speech on Conciliation" before the British Parliament, in which he summarizes the progress and achievements of the American colonies.

In that amazing speech, Burke lays out well-documented numbers and facts about the astounding economic activity and progress of the Americans, attributing it to the "spirit of liberty" which was thriving and producing opportunity and wealth. Remember, this was a year before our Declaration of Independence.

Many who call themselves "conservatives" may not possess a true passion to preserve (conserve) the ideas of liberty encapsulated in the Declaration of Independence and structured into a form of self-government in the Constitution, but all who are dedicated to preserving those ideas and principles are, in fact, "conservatives," whether they identify with the label or not.