Topic 4 - C2 - The Religious Right Flashcards
Why did Ronald Reagan have victories in 1980 and 1988?
Due to his policies on taxation and the role of gov, and to his opposition of permissiveness and advocacy of traditional family values
Phyllis Schlafly and Beverly LaHaye led the Religious Right, Beverly had 500,000 people in CWA who outnumbered NOW, what did they believe in?
- Disliked counter culture, feminism, divorce, mothers going to work, sexual liberation, abortion, drug taking, homosexuality, pornography etc
- Promoted traditional values through organisations, the media and support for conservative politics
Who was Jerry Falwell?
Had a long running ‘Old Time Gospel Hour’ broadcasted on 225 TV stations and 300 radio stations during the 1980s. Opposed smoking, drinking and rock n roll - advised that women should follow the bible and submit to their husbands
How did Jerry Falwell influence the election?
JF raised millions of dollars for RR’s presidential campaign and Moral Majority registered 2 million voters
Who were the Moral Majority?
Moral Majority disbanded in 1989 but other orgs like Christian Coalition emerged in 1989 - had 150,000 members by 1992
What brought the Religious Right and the Republicans close?
After tax exemptions for federally segregated schools was going to be ended in 1978. Angered large voting bloc of southern evangelicalists.
What beliefs did Ronald Reagan have?
- Rarely attended church but supported the school prayer (SC ruled against it in 1962)
- Opposed darwinism and wanted creationism to be taught in schools
When did the Religious Right grow disappointed in Ronald Reagan?
After he failed to endorse the Family Protection Act - would have prohibited abortion, ended the school prayer, enforced single sex in sports at school etc
How was Ronald Reagan’s social conservatism reflected?
Enforced nearly 400 conservative judges to the judiciary - at end of GB, ¾ of judiciary was conservative
What was the campaign against abortion?
- RR used emotive mailings and slogans
- Used reformed sinners to advertise the cause - former feminists encouraged to speak against feminism
- Enlisted the support of Republicans who sought their votes. Even moderate reps began to oppose abortion.
How did George Bush’s stance on abortion change?
GB had been pro choice but changed his stance to please other Republicans and said abortion was murder in his 1988 campaign
Who did George Bush appoint to the SC after being told to appoint a judge that was pro life?
David Souter to SC judge who’s abortion views unknown.
Why did Reagan disappoint the RR with his SC nomination?
Appointed Sandra Day O’Connor to the SC - upset Religious Right because of her sympathy towards women in need of abortions.
When was the Religious Right pleased with the government?
- Reagan persuaded cong to fund chastity clinics where women would be encouraged to avoid sex.
- Webster v Reproductive Services of Missouri (1989) - SC ruled that Missouri could deny women access to public abortion facilities.
What case upset the Religious Right the most?
Planned Parenthood v Casey (1992) reaffirmed RVW
Which anti gay activists sprung up after the spread of AIDS?
Traditional Values Coalition and Umbrella Voice
What did televangelist Pat Robertson do after setting up the 700 club in 1966 (news programme to promote traditional values)?
- Declared himself a rep candidate in 1988. Lost to GB. - – - Publically praying to God for a hurricane to be diverted from Virginia to NYC.
What did Pat Robertson establish in 1989?
Established Christian Coalition to lobby against gay rights and pro school prayer
What other anti gay activists existed in the 1980s?
- Jerry Falwell
- Televangelist Jim Bakker and Praise the Lord Club
- Concerned Women for America
- Pat Buchanan
What anti gay law was passed in 1986?
SC ruled that sodomy was illegal in Georgia. 24 other states and Washington DC had similar laws.
Why did RR believe the nation had a drug problem in the 1980s. Why did people called drug taking the ‘American disease’?
- Recreational drugs X3 since the 1970s
- 1987 survey revealed that half of citizens under 45 had smoked cannabis at least once
- 40 million Americans used illegal substances
- 375,000 babies born addicted to cocaine or heroin
- 12,000 drug related deaths annually
What did the War on Drugs focus on?
War on drugs focused on eradicating foreign supplies at source by arresting dealers and users. Cocaine and other street drugs became cheaper and more widely available.
How did attitudes towards the drug problem grow?
- 1985 barely 1% of America surveyed thought there was a drug problem
- 1989 over 50% saw drugs as a threat to national security
How did the drug problem grow?
Crack cocaine widely available - poor ghetto inhabitants could afford it - black Americans and Hispanics could make a fortune selling it
What caused attitudes towards drugs to change?
Media coverage of drug use increased - stories of crack addicts staging robberies to fund their addiction were covered and newborn babies with addictions shown
Why did the Just Say No campaign take place?
NR criticised for being too extravagant so did charity work. Thought cure for drugs came from the promotion of religious values, harsher school discipline and the strict enforcement of anti drug laws
What legislation was passed to prevent and stop the drug problem?
- 1986 federal workplaces had to be drug free - routine testing on workers
- 1988 Drug Free Workplaces Act - declared universities and contractor had to be drug free to get gov money
What impact did the Just Say No campaign have?
- 1990 - $10 billion p/a spent on enforcement of drug laws
- 750,000 charged each year for violation of drug laws
Why did political divisions grow in the 1980s?
Backlash to the counterculture and 1960s permissiveness and disagreements over the role of fed gov in providing a welfare safety net.
What political divisions existed?
- Divisions between reps and dems over traditional moral values and big gov
- Divisions among reps over traditional moral values
- Divisions among dems over big gov
What Republican intra party divisions existed?
- GB suffered attacks from within the party for being insufficiently conservative - led to GB’s defeat in 1992
- Buchanan had support from Relig Ri who were disillusioned with Bush’s tax hike and his lack of enthusiasm for social agenda
- GB said he wouldn’t mind having a gay cabinet member
What Democratic intra party divisions existed?
- Far less bitter
- Old style democrats wanted the GS but recognised that new dems were more electable
- Bill Clinton - new dem - wanted a balanced fed gov budget and decreased fed gov interventionism
What inter party divisions existed?
- Most bitter
- Demonstrated in R’s SC nomination of Robert Bork - reps approved but dems thought he attacked liberal SC decisions
Why were democrats and republicans divided over the nomination of Robert Bork to the SC?
Bork defended a connecticut law that would have denied contraceptives to married couples, opposed abortion, claimed women’s rights weren’t in the 14th amendment, criticised racial equality
what happened to the Religious Right after 1992?
Religious right lost momentum after 1992 and had little impact but division in America.
