-
Period: to
THE EVOLUTION OF CONSERVATISM
-
The American Liberty League is founded to defend conservative values of private property and individual enterprise.
Some of these critics joined to form the American Liberty League. 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’s attempt to “pack” the Supreme Court causes conservative backlash in Congress.
The only modern attempt to alter the size of the Court occurred in 1937, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to "pack" the Court by trying to add justices more sympathetic to his political ideals. Between 1935 and 1937, the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional numerous pieces of Roosevelt's New Deal program that attempted to regulate the national economy. Most of the conservative judges who voted against the New Deal statutes were over the age of seventy -
Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected as a moderate Republican.
With a campaign slogan that couldn't miss, "I like Ike," Eisenhower and his vice president, Richard M. Nixon, posted landslide victories in both 1952 and 1956. His moderate Republican policies helped him secure many victories in Congress, where Democrats held the majority during six of the eight years that Eisenhower was in the White House. -
Barry Goldwater runs on a conservative platform and loses to LBJ in a landslide.
In 1964, the Republican candidate for President, Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, ran on a staunchly conservative platform. Facing Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson, Goldwater opposed government activism, including social security, federal civil rights laws and antipoverty programs. He also demanded a military buildup against a possible Soviet attack. -
The Supreme Court angers social conservatives with its decision to legalize abortion in Roe v. Wade.
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.
The growing strength of conservatives in the Republican Party gave Ronald Reagan the GOP presidential nomination in 1980. During the campaign, Reagan seized on growing discontent. His attacks on incumbent Jimmy Carter's handling of the economy were particularly effective. Swept along by Reagan's popularity, the Republicans gained control of the Senate for the first time since Eisenhower's first term.
