DBQ Liberals --> Conservatives

LBJ’s Great Society(1964–65) to eliminate poverty (Medicare/Medicaid, education funding).

Sparked anti-"big government" sentiment, fueling Reagan’s welfare queen stereotype and supply-side economics.

Landmark laws (1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 Voting Rights Act) and desegregation efforts (Brown v. Board).

Southern backlash (Dixiecrats) and Nixon’s Southern Strategy, realigning white voters with the GOP.

Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963) and push for the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment).

Phyllis Schlafly’s STOP ERA campaign and Religious Right framing feminism as anti-family.

Containment policies (e.g., Vietnam War) to stop communist expansion.

Barry Goldwater’s New Right demanded aggressive anti-communism.

Miranda V Arizona, Supreme Court required police to inform suspects of their rights.

Nixon/Reagan leveraged "law and order" rhetoric, blaming liberals for being soft on crime.

Gideon v. Wainwright, Guaranteed free legal counsel for criminal defendants.

Fueled conservative calls for judicial restraint and harsher sentencing (War on Drugs).

Engel V. Vitale, Banned state-sponsored prayer in public schools.

Mobilized the Religious Right (Moral Majority) to "restore traditional values."

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), Legalized contraception, establishing a constitutional "right to privacy."

Laid groundwork for conservative opposition to Roe v. Wade (1973).

Roth V. United States, Redefined obscenity laws, protecting free speech.

Galvanized conservatives against "moral decay"

Medicare/Medicaid: Great Society programs providing healthcare for the elderly and poor.

Reinforced conservative critiques of welfare dependency.(Welfare Queens)

OPEC Oil Embargo: Arab nations halted oil exports to the U.S, causing an economic crisis under Carter.

Conservative attacks on liberal energy policies and calls for deregulation (Reaganomics).

Pentagon Papers: Leaked documents exposing government lies about Vietnam War.

Watergate (1972–74) deepened distrust in government, aiding Reagan’s "government is the problem" message.

Roe V. Wade: Legalized abortion via the "right to privacy."

Moral Majority and Religious Right made anti-abortion a core GOP issue.

Bakke V. University of California: Upheld affirmative action but banned racial quotas.

Conservatives framed affirmative action as "reverse discrimination," rallying white voters.

Dixiecrats: Southern Democrats who opposed civil rights laws.

Defected to the GOP via Nixon’s Southern Strategy, solidifying Republican dominance in the South.

Watergate: Nixon’s corruption was exposed, leading to his resignation.

Eroded trust in government, enabling Reagan’s anti-bureaucracy messaging.

1981 Economic Recovery Tax

Cut taxes and spending, Unemployment rose, but inflation decreased, and the gross national product grew