A Conservative Movement Emerges

A Conservative Movement Emerges Mr. White’s US History 2

Main Idea and Objectives • Main Idea: Conservatism reached a high-point with the election in 1980 of President Ronald Reagan and Vice-President George Bush. • After this section, we should be able to: • Identify the reasons for the resurgence of conservative values • List and explain the major goals of the New Right

Part I: The conservative Movement Builds Concerns about the growth of government, the abuse of entitlement programs, and the decay of traditional moral values led to the growth of the modern conservative movement

What did conservatives want? • Conservatives were people who had several different concerns with American economics, society, and politics • Government spending on entitlement programs • The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and growing liberalism • Social and moral decay in the United States

The New Right • As the 1970s went on, conservative groups across the country began to support and promote single issues that were in line with conservative interests • Opposing abortion • Blocking the Equal Rights Amendment (feminists supported it, anti-feminists opposed) • Evading court-ordered busing of students to create a certain racial ratio at schools • Opposing affirmative action • Also called for a return to school-sponsored prayer, which had been declared unconstitutional in 1962 • Felt that the country needed more roots based in Christianity

Conservatives and Affirmative Action • Affirmative action is a policy in the United States that is designed to reduce the disadvantages that certain groups such as women, black Americans, or other minorities have historically faced • This policy is backed by many federal laws, executive orders, and Supreme Court decisions that require that government agencies, or sub-contracted agencies, follow them • Many in the New Right opposed these affirmative action guidelines as reverse discrimination, which discriminated against non-minority groups

Conservative Coalition • As these small groups formed in the New Right, they began to band together into what became known as the Conservative Coalition • Business leaders, middle-class voters, and fundamentalist Christian groups • These groups began to publish in newspapers and other publications, writing in support of conservative issues and principles

The Moral Majority • Many members of the conservative movement were also evangelical Christians, who believed in a nearly-literal interpretation of the Bible • Members of this Moral Majority pointed to many different social problems in the United States, and pointed to a return to the Bible, God, and morality as a way to solve them • High divorce rate, out-of-wedlock births, crime rate • The Moral Majority supported Christian evangelists like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham • This movement dedicated itself to bringing back traditional “family values” • They began to support political figures that they felt would best support their interests

Part II: Conservatives Win Political Power President Ronald Reagan and other conservatives, backed by the growing conservative movement, won political power in the 1980s.

Ronald Reagan • Ronald Reagan was originally a Democrat, and had supported policies like FDR’s New Deal in the 1930s • In the 1950s, he had a reversal of opinion, and became a Republican • Supported free enterprise and small government • Reagan was elected governor of California in 1970

Reagan vs. Carter • In 1980, Reagan ran for president against Jimmy Carter • Many in the moral majority were worried about recent Supreme Court decisions on the teaching of evolution, abortion, pornography, and prayer in public schools, and these people supported Reagan • The Iran hostage crisis and the weak economy made things difficult for Carter and easier for Reagan

Reagan’s Advantages • Reagan also projected himself much better than Carter did • Reagan had been an actor in Hollywood, so people recognized his face, and he knew how to carry himself; Carter appeared stiff and nervous • Supporters called him the Great Communicator for his ability to express complex ideas simply, and give clear-cut solutions • His desire for American military and economic strength encouraged many Americans to support him

Election of 1980 • Only about half of registered voters in the United States went out to vote in 1980 • Reagan and Carter were close in total votes, but Reagan’s support was spread over the country, so he won 489 electoral votes to Carter’s 49 • In this election, the Republicans also took control of the Senate • Conservatives had an opportunity to sponsor laws and programs that they supported

Main Idea and Objectives • Main Idea: Conservatism reached a high-point with the election in 1980 of President Ronald Reagan and Vice-President George Bush. • After this section, we should be able to: • Identify the reasons for the resurgence of conservative values • List and explain the major goals of the New Right

Wrap-up • So… • One of the reasons that many people supported conservative values was… • One of the main goals of the New Right was to…

A Conservative Movement Emerges