Joey Barretta, Author at The Imaginative Conservative

About Joey Barretta

Joey Barretta is a graduate of the Ashbrook Scholar Program at Ashland University. He is pursuing a doctorate in American politics and political philosophy at the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship at Hillsdale College, specializing in the political thought of Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the American Founding.

Fusionism Is Dead, Long Live Conservatism!

By Joey Barretta|2020-09-09T16:10:56-05:00September 9th, 2020|Categories: American Republic, Community, Conservatism, Economics, Free Markets, Libertarians, Politics|

The fusionism of the past has been outmoded not due to some notion of progressive change but because the libertarian perspective it promotes is fundamentally flawed. Acknowledging the failure of fusionism is the first step to ensuring that conservatism may long endure. I recently had a rather extended debate with a libertarian-minded friend who expressed [...]

Frederick Douglass, Progressive Visionary?

By Joey Barretta|2020-05-01T09:41:05-05:00April 30th, 2020|Categories: American Founding, American Republic, History|

In “Frederick Douglass’s Vision for a Reborn America,” David W. Blight, one of the nation’s preeminent Frederick Douglass scholars, provides a faulty account of Douglass’ view of America and his understanding of the American Founding.[1] Throughout his account, Dr. Blight emphasizes the need to examine Douglass in light of modern racial strife. He begins by [...]