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American Liberty League Founded
Established in 1934, this organization included both industrialists and politicians. The Liberty League sought to teach respect for the rights of individuals and property and to underscore the importance of individual enterprise. All of these values, members claimed, were being undermined by FDR's large government programs. -
Roosevelt Attempts To "Pack" Supreme Court
In 1937, an attempt by Roosevelt to “pack” the Supreme Court by adding new justices caused a backlash. Conservatives in both major political parties formed a coalition that opposed further New Deal legislation. Nevertheless, Republicans struggled to overcome Roosevelt's enduring popularity as President. Led by Roosevelt and later by Harry S Truman, the Democrats kept control of the White House for twenty years. -
Dwight Eisenhower Elected As A Moderate Republican
The election of Dwight D. Eisenhower as President in 1952 began eight years of Republican rule. Eisenhower called his approach to government “modern Republicanism.” He accepted the basic outlines of the New Deal and never attempted to dismantle the federal bureaucracy. The federal bureaucracy even expanded, as it did in 1953 with the creation of a Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, headed by Oveta Culp Hobby. -
Barry Goldwater Runs On A Conservative Base And Loses To LBJ
Barry Goldwater, the people's favorite, was running for the presidential nomination. People found his base to conservative and therefore wrote him out of the election. THe only people states he won were Arizona, his home, and several "backwater" southern states. This election showed that people in the south would vote for a republican if his/her views better support them. -
Supreme Court Legalizes Abortion
The sexual revolution was another source of conservative concern. The use of the new birth control pill encouraged promiscuity, critics said. Also, after the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, anti-abortion forces launched a campaign to overturn that decision. The movement for gay and lesbian rights further angered many conservative Americans. -
Conservative Republicans Sweep The Historic 1980 Election
On a platform that was originally seen as "too conservative", republicans swept the elections of 1980. They got their first majority in house since Eisenhower's first time and won the presdential election.
