Why America’s founding is a conservative touchstone

American conservatives differ widely, but many find the nation’s founding central to their view of their country and themselves. Could understanding that perspective open up lines of communication between the right and the left?

James Manship, a conservative activist who regularly attends right-wing marches and rallies, wears his politics. 

From the bottom up, he puts on colonial riding boots, stockings, breeches, a white dress shirt, a vest, an overcoat, a white wig, and a tricorn hat. It can be an uncomfortable get-up. But if George Washington could wear it into...