Critical race theory is just the new buzzword in conservatives’ war on campuses

Today’s conservative panic over critical race theory in American classrooms, both unfounded and intentionally misunderstood, has led to a litany of organized social and legislative backlash in settings including local communities, state legislatures and conservative media. Republican members of Congress are encouraging conservative leaders to “lean into” the schoolhouse culture war. But although the topic is fresh, the overall trope of campuses gone wild and threatening American values is nothing new. Conservatives for decades have targeted liberal politics in the classroom, especially in colleges and universities. These efforts haven’t reshaped the professoriate or campus climate, but they have had success at convincing trustees and administrators to exert greater control.

Decades ago, it was the conservative commentators William F. Buckley Jr. and M. Stanton Evans who led the charge against what they perceived as progressivism in academia. While in college, both had been members of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) created by conservative writers at the Freeman and Human Events magazines in the early 1950s. The ISI aimed to be a bulwark against what these writers decried as liberally biased education. ISI offered books, magazines, pamphlets and other media to communicate conservative ideas to college students.

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