Political manifestos are making a comeback.

Recent efforts to define the conservative political resurgence have drawn on the long history of manifesto-writing in American history.

Signed by a diverse group of 80 conservative leaders in February near George Washington's home, the Mount Vernon Statement called for a return   to "Constitutional conservatism" and drew parallels with a similar effort 50 years ago.

The statement attempted to draw together "economic conservatives," "social conservatives" and "national security conservatives" by calling for an energetic, but limited federal government.

"A Constitutional conservatism unites all conservatives through the natural fusion provided by American principles," the statement read.

Its inspiration came from a similar call to action from 1960 spearheaded by conservative commentator William F. Buckley. Named for Buckley's estate in Sharon, Conn., the Sharon Statement   served as the launching pad for Young Americans for Freedom.

In just 368 words, the statement called on "the youth of America to affirm certain eternal truths," emphasizing the primacy of the Constitution and the fight against Communism, a headline issue in 1960.

Brent Bozell, Buckley's nephew, is now president of the conservative Media Research Center and was one of the signers of the Mount Vernon Statement.

"The Sharon Statement was very much a manifesto that launched the modern conservative movement, and we felt it needed to be honored with this," he said. "This doesn't in any way substitute for it. This is a different kind of a manifesto."

The Mount Vernon Statement abandons the Sharon Statement's emphasis on fighting Communism and instead focuses on issues that define the conservative movement today. In 537 words, it claims that American founding principles, including economic opportunity, limited government and religious freedom, are under attack.

"The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles," it proclaims. "At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution."

The 1960s were a heyday of manifesto writing. In response to the Sharon Statement, a group of liberals wrote the Port Huron Statement   during a national convention for the Students for a Democratic Society in Michigan in the summer of 1962.

Unlike the brief conservative statement, its liberal counterpart was nearly 26,000 words long and included four sections, each subdivided into smaller sections.

Tom Hayden was one of about 60 signers of the Port Huron Statement. Still a liberal activist based in California, Hayden remembered writing the statement as "definitely an inspirational experience for those who wrote it."

"What surprised me was the reaction," he wrote in an e-mail. "On the one hand, it had a deep effect on thousands of young people which continues to this day. On the other hand, many of the Democratic liberals and labor leaders were threatened by the youthful independence and thought it wasn't anti-communist enough."

Political manifestos have a long history in the United States. The most famous is the Declaration of Independence, which asserted the need for the American revolution and made broad statements about human rights and the faults of King George.

The most successful recent manifesto came from Republican Newt Gingrich, who led a group of Republicans to commit to a set of principles known as the Contract with America during the 1995 House elections.

Drawing on that effort, the Tea Party Patriots is drawing up its own list of proposals to be known as the Contract From America . Activists will be allowed to help choose which ideas will be included in the final contract through an online vote.

The Mount Vernon Statement kicked off with signers who represented a variety of conservative organizations, but Bozell said elected officials and conservatives across the country are being invited to sign as well. The goal is for 1 million people to sign.

Bozell said the Mount Vernon Statement deliberately steered clear of polarizing policy issues, only reinforcing a need for future generations to cling to principles the founding fathers embraced. Ultimately, he explained, time will tell whether the statement was effective.

"If 50 years from now our progeny are talking about us with the respect that we're talking about the Sharon Statement, then I'll know that we succeeded," Bozell said.

Tricia Miller writes for Roll Call.

Become a fan of Congress.org on Facebook.   Follow us on Twitter.