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• 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.
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 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.
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.
