Paradigm Shifts: The Rise and Fall of American Conservatism
Black Migration to Urban North
Election of Forward-Thinking Bill Clinton
Brown v. Board of Education
Sexual Escapades and
Impeachment Proceedings
Urban Unrest and Riots (1960s)
Fear that Values were Once
Again Under Attack
The Youth Protest and
Women's Movements
Election of George W. Bush,
Another Voice from the Past
Roe v. Wade
9/11 Attacks and Fear of Terrorism
The Disillusionment of
the Vietnam War
Support for War in Iraq, Family Values
(Anti-Abortion), and the “Sanctity of
Marriage“ (Anti-Homosexuality)
The Watergate Scandal
and Nixon's Resignation
Opposition to Republican Judicial
Nominations and War in Iraq Viewed as Attacks
on Evangelical Christianity and Patriotism
Insecurity, Uncertainty, and Fear
An Upwardly Mobile Population on the Religious
Right Seeks to Influence Politics & Take Charge
Incompetent Handling of Relief Effort after
Hurricane Katrina Has Racial Overtones
Political Candidates who Represent
the Safety of Traditional Values
Violations of Civil Liberties (Patriot Act, Illegal
Surveillance, Military Commissions Act) &
Human Rights (Prison Scandals, Torture)
“Born Again" Jimmy Carter
Mounting Dissatisfaction with the War in
Iraq, the Costs of Energy and Healthcare,
and a Severe Economic Crisis
Actor Ronald Reagan Who Portrayed
Law and Order, American Patriotism
and Traditional Values in the Movies
An Aroused Public (Young People, Minorities,
Well-Educated, Affluent Americans, & Urban
Residents) Responds to the Promise of Change
Restoration of Security and Satisfaction
of Having Achieved a Degree of Power
Election of Barack Obama Who
Ushers in the “Era of Responsibility”