The Religious Right and its critics

Who lead the Religious Right? What did they believe in?

• Led by people such as Phyllis Schafly and Beverly LaHaye (concerned women for US)

  • Concerned with permissiveness of 1960s

What was the overall importance of the religious right?

• Increased polarisation in US; “culture wars”

• Affected outcomes of elections; voted Reagan in 1980/84 and George H.W Bush in 1988.

The promotion of traditional values:

How did the Religious Right promote their values?

• Organisations, media + supporting conservative MPs

Who was Jerry Falwell? What did he believe? What did he host? What did he establish and how did this influence politics?

• Disliked smoking/drinking and rock n’ roll

• Hosted “Old Time Gospel Hour”- radio; 300 stations in early 1980s

• Established “moral majority” in 1980

  • Raised millions for Reagan’s campaign

  • Registered around 2 million voters

• Disbanded 1989

What was the Christian Coalition? What did it do?

• Est 1989

• Lobbied government for socially conservative measures

• 1992: 150,000 members.

Why was Reagan liked by the Religious Right?

• 1984 campaign:

  • Emphasises disgust at permissiveness of 1960s- anti-feminist and anti- Equal Rights Amendment

• Divorced but was an emblem of the Nuclear Family

  • “Morning Again in US” (1984): played on trad values.

• Campaigned for school prayer and for creationism to be taught in place of Darwinism

Why were the Religious Right unsatisfied with Reagans actions?

• Couldn’t pass the Family Protection Act (contraceptive permission, anti-abortion)

• RR felt he didn’t try hard enough

How was Reagan’s strategy successful?

• Used Judicial strategy

• Appointed 400 conservative judges to the supreme court; “Reaganised”

• By 1992, ¾ of the supreme court judges were Republican (also added to by Bush)

Why were the Religious Right still unsatisfied with the Supreme Court?

How were they pleased with the Supreme Court?

• Supreme court refused to repeal Roe v. Wade

• BUT… SC did become more conservative…

  • E.g. chipped away at abortion rights which frightened many Liberals.

What methods did the Religious Right use in their campaign against abortion?

• Emotive mailings

• “Reformed sinners” to advertise their cause (ex-feminists)

• Enlisted support of republican politicians who wanted their votes

  • Some felt they had to appease the RR- George Bush had been pro choice, but switched in his 1988 campaign- “abortion is murder”

• Used “rights language” for unborn feetuses.

Why were the RR disappointed with the federal government surrounding abortion?

• 1901: Reagan appoints Sandra Day O’Connor

  • Record of being sympathetic to women in need of abortions

Why were the RR satisfied with the federal government surrounding abortion?

• Reagan persuaded congress to fund “chastity clinics” which discouraged women from sex

• Reagan’s judiciary method was beneficiary;

  • Led to Webster v Reproductive services in Missouri

    • Denied abortion facilities to women

How were governmental opinions on abortion divided?

• RR expected multiple other states to follow Missouri

  • Only 3 did

• Bush supported anti-abortion campaigns

  • BUT… democratic congress refuse this.

Campaigns against homosexuality:

How did the anti-homosexuality movement gain strength? Who was Pat Robertson and what did he do?

• Gained strength with the spread of AIDS

• Pat Robertson:

  • Televangelist; 700 club (news)

  • Ran as Repub. candidate in 1988 election but lost to Bush

    • Later established the Christian Coalition which was anti-gay and pro-school prayer

Who was Jerry Falwell?

• Set up the “Moral Majority” who campaigned against homosexuality

In what ways homosexuality movement have support?

• At court and state level

• Washington DC: enforced laws against “deviant sexuality”- even in private

Were the campaigns against abortion and homosexuality successful?

• Abortion most successful

  • Pressure of “murder” and pressure placed on courts = access harder

• Homosexuality less successful

  • Evident in recent success regarding same-sex relationships

Anti drug campaigns:

What was the war on drugs referred to as? How did drug usage go up?

What act criminalised drug users and when was it put in place?

What were measures taken based on?

• Also referred to as the “American disease”

  • Rec. drug use tripled since 1970s

• Harrison Act 1914 criminalised drug users

  • Based on eradicating the root problem

Why did drug use grow?

How was this growth reflected through public opinion?

• Crack became widely used/ cheaper and more available

  • Poorer people saw drugs as a means of escape OR as a means of social mobility (dealers)

• 1989: over 50% see drug use as a major issue

How did the media depict the drugs crisis?

How did Reagan influence this?

• Media coverage increases

• Stories about addicts robbing to fund addiction and addicted babies having withdrawals more prevalent in media

  • Unfortunately, bad news sold

• Many argued the cold war was replaced with the drug war in being the major foreign crisis.

• Reagan placed an emphasis on drug use; his children had also taken drugs.

Where did Nancy Reagan visit in her “Just Say No” campaign?

What did she argue could help stop the drug war?

• Took visits to nurseries treating drug-addicted babies

• Problem solved through spread of religious values and harsh punishment (schools/enforcement)

What was the 1988 Drug-Free Workplace Act and what did it do?

How much was federal expenditure on enforcing drug laws by 1990?

• Made unis/contractors receiving federal money “drug free”

  • Regular urine testing

    1990: $10 million

Why were some critical of Reagan’s handling of the drug issue?

• Felt tackling root cause (poverty) and rehabilitation would be more effective

Overall, was the Religious Right successful in their campaigns?

• Drug seizures had little impact on the drug issue

• Unsuccessful in fending off perceived challenges

• Successful in polarising the US in “culture wars”

Growth of bitter political divisions:

What were Republican intra-party divisions based on?

• Bush attacked for not being conservative enough

• Against Buchanan in leadership battle who had support from the RR

  • Criticised Bush for his lack of enthusiasm for the RR- “insincere conservative”

What were Democratic intra-party divisions based on?

What did Clinton want to do?

• Old Democrats vouched for “great society” policies

  • BUT… did recognise that new centrist Democrats gained more votes (E.g. Clinton)

    • Wanted to lower govt intervention and “end welfare as we know it”

What did inter-party divisions arise form?

• Reagan’s election of Rob Bork into the Supreme Court

  • HATED by Liberals as he…

    • Opposed abortion

    • Endorsed legislation denying contraceptives to married couples

    • Criticised the principle of racial equality.