The New Right Movement

Essay 2

The 1960s through the 1980s brought about much change in the United States as a new style of thinking changed the landscape of American culture. These changes were the result of a changing world in which a more educated and younger American population differed in ideology than that of the generation before them. Not everybody was happy with the social changes that occurred during this time. A group referred to as the “New Right”, which consisted of conservative business bigwigs, christian leaders and political groups that all claimed that labor and environmental regulations were undermining the American economy in comparison to the gloabl market. This “New Right” movement started to gain traction after the famous Roe vs. Wade
Supreme Court case in which women were guaranteed the right to abortions sparked a powerful pro-life movement dedicated to protecting the “unborn life” started to organize. In a time where more and more sexual permissiveness was being put in magazines and films, the more moderate and ordinary Americans were shocked. These Americans were also shocked at the newly vocal gay rights movement in which they believed homosexuality was sinful and wrong. This accompanied with a rise in crime and divorce rates lead to an increasing number of American citizens blaming the liberal establishment. This lead to a cultural war between the right wing conservatives and the new left liberal front that lasted throughout the 1970s and 1980s. One of the big ideas behind the “New Right” movement was one that had been in the conservative docket since the beginning of the United States.
The idea of economic conservatism was nothing new, but the leaders of the “New Right” movement such as Barry Goldwater believed that the policies brought forth in the New Deal should be reversed. The “New Deal” ideology was that America’s big government and bureaucracy were the biggest threat to the liberties of the average American. They believed that welfare and social spending had to be cut in order to reduce the tax burden on American families and citizens. The “New Right” movement believed that the government was failing the population, an excerpt from There are No Children Here provides a great example of this “Lafeyette had grown increasingly cynical. And in a child who has not experienced enough to root his beliefs, such an attitude can create a vast emptiness. He had little to believe in. Everyone and everything was failing him. School. The Public Aid Department. His father. His older brother. The police. And now, in a sense, himself.”(pg 222 Alex Kotlowitz). The ideology was that the federal government regulations were inhibiting personal freedoms as well as economic growth. The backbone of the “New Right” movement was financially backed by big
business. Economic and political ideologies were not the only influences that the “New Right” movement contained. Another huge portion of the “New Right” constituency was the conservative christian right wingers. This group of the “Christian Right” had many different people who represented its ideologies. These people included fundamentalists such as Jerry Falwell, a religious leader who believed that believed in a more literal interpretation of the bible and also included Pat Robertson who claimed that god spoke with regular people on a daily basis. Most religious leaders during this time frame believed that America was experiencing moral decline. These leaders, who spanned across all the theological divisions, believed that a woman’s place was at home taking care of the family and that homosexuality went directly against what the bible had taught them. These leaders believed that the “liberal” media was corrupting the youth in America and were appalled by the government's decision to take religion out of the public school system. They supported the creation of homeschooling and private religious academies instead of allowing the youth to get corrupted by the ever increasing liberal American government. The leaders of the “New Right” movement understood the importance of being organized and utilized the potential of mass communications. There were many different organizations that created their own way to broadcast the conservative message to the public. There was the “Praise the Lord” club that had the largest daily audience out of any broadcast in the world. In these broadcast the PTL would talk about the ideas of faith and religious revival. This along with other conservative broadcasts allowed for the creation of a massive database in which conservative leaders could draw financial contributors to fund their conservative agendas. In the presidential campaign of 1980, President Ronald Reagan’s campaign was given funds collected by the “New Right” movement. As any any social and political movement there are those who tend to be more moderate in their views and there are the extremists.
The “New Right” movement was no different as hate and racial groups joined up and supported the ideologies in a more extreme way. These groups such as the American Nazi Party and the Klu Klux Klan believed in the policies of the “New Right” movement and joined in on the outcry in the moral decline of their version of America. Many of these individuals believed that the American federal government had become too powerful and the people did not have their basic constitutional rights. These groups strongly supported the idea of the right to bear arms as a way to defend themselves from the ever growing government and even started to create their own
militias. While many ideologies from the “New Right” movement still are a factor in the political world today, the group originated in the early 1970s. The creation of this movement was a response to the ever growing size and power of the federal government as well as the declining moral values that Americans were used to. The new generation that came after the “baby boomers” of the 1950s wanted change and had a different view of the world. The “New Right” movement was the response to this as their beliefs were that of the more conservative generation that had preceded them. They did not believe in the new ideologies that came with the 1970s. The opposed the growth of government, abortion and the emergence of women as well as gay rights. They were backed by the religious leaders in the country and conservative extremist groups as well. They had a huge influence in politics and were financially backed by the big businesses in the United States. No matter if their ideas were good for the country or not the “New Right” group played a huge role in United States history and still has a lasting impact on American culture.