New Books Network Jeff Roche, "The Conservative Frontier: Texas and the Origins of the New Right" (U Texas Press, 2025)
Dec 18, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Jeff Roche, a history professor and author of "The Conservative Frontier," unpacks the origins of American conservatism, tracing its roots back to West Texas cattle ranching. He delves into the impact of figures like C.W. Post and J. Evetts Haley on local and national politics. Roche highlights how environmental factors and the rise of ‘cowboy conservatism’ shaped the Texas GOP and its enduring influence. He also emphasizes the importance of regional history in forming political identities, offering a thought-provoking exploration of how place matters in politics.
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Landscape Shapes Political Culture
- West Texas is an extreme, flat savanna shaped by sparse water and prairie grass, not typical settled landscapes.
- Its harsh environment produced distinctive political cultures centered on independence and local cooperation.
Goodnight's Range Ranching Model
- Charles Goodnight built profitable range ranching by replacing bison with cattle and using minimal investment to graze vast prairie grasslands.
- Ranchers formed informal codes around water and ranges to run a low-overhead industry outside heavy state control.
Technology Remade West Texas Agriculture
- Technological changes (barbed wire, windmills, tractors) turned open range into mechanized, fenced agriculture and enabled land speculation.
- Ranchers marketed parcels and created small towns to service commercial family farming, transforming the regional economy.