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ANS: A TOP: The Rising Tide of Conservatism
DIF: Moderate REF: Full p. 1036 | Seagull p. 1054
MSC: Analyzing OBJ: 4. Discuss the roots of the rise of conservatism in the 1970s.
67. What setback did the advocates of the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 suffer in 1976?
a. President Ford vetoed federal funding for abortion.
b. The Supreme Court declared bans on abortion constitutional.
c. Congress enacted a bill banning abortion from health care policies for federal employees.
d. The Supreme Court reversed its position on access to contraception and allowed states to ban condoms.
e. Congress overrode Ford’s veto and ended federal funding for abortion in the Medicaid program.
68. Which of the following statements is true of Proposition 13?
a. It resulted in larger funds for libraries and schools, as supporters claimed it would.
b. Proposed by California conservatives, it clashed with the growing liberal mood of the rest of the nation.
c. Prospective homebuyers and renters benefited greatly from its passage.
d. It proved taxation could be a trenchant issue for politicians and American voters.
e. Many states, observing the California experiment, shied away from similar propositions.
69. What motivated the Sagebrush Rebellion?
a. a rising tide of environmental activism and liberal sentiment
b. concern that the federal government planned to cut federal funding for state and national parks in the West
c. the desire of western ranchers for local control of grazing rights on public lands
d. anger over the loss of jobs with the closing of the Nevada Test Site
e. a growing concern over the danger of wildfires and drought conditions
70. The Sunbelt in the 1970s
a. was the only U.S. region to welcome illegal immigration.
b. was characterized by high wages and unionized jobs.
c. was a growing conservative region.
d. produced more than 80 percent of U.S. agricultural imports.
e. became the center of liberalism.
71. Which of the following assessments of the Carter administration in 1980 is accurate?
a. Without his masterful resolution to the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter’s reelection would have been doubtful.
b. Prior to Reagan’s announcement that he was going to run for president, few Americans would have doubted Carter’s
reelection.
c. Only Carter’s defeat in the 1980 election saved him from almost certain impeachment by a heavily Republican Congress.
d. Carter’s approval ratings in 1980 had fallen lower than Nixon’s at the time of his resignation.
e. Carter’s bold boycott of the Moscow Olympics in protest over the invasion of Afghanistan dramatically improved his chances
at reelection.
72. Unlike any previous president, Reagan held what job before his time in office?
a. professional athlete
b. dancer
c. lumberjack
d. recording artist
e. actor
73. When Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller assumed the presidency and the vice presidency, respectively,
a. they focused solely on domestic affairs.
b. it was the first time in U.S. history that the White House was occupied by authorities nobody had voted for.
c. U.S. citizens had voted for someone they could finally “trust.”
d. they stopped the policy of détente, bringing the world to the brink of war.
e. they assumed full responsibility for the Watergate scandal.
74. In 1976, Jimmy Carter won the presidential race in part because he
a. ran with Regan as his vice president.
b. played as an “outsider.”
c. was well known nationwide.
d. lied about his religious preferences.
e. promised to put the Watergate scandal behind.
75. What did the environmentalist Barry Commoner offer as a solution to the environmental crisis?
a. Boycott any energy that was produced from a nuclear facility.
b. The government needed to be less involved in environmental issues, allowing the private sector to handle cleanups.
c. Americans should eat more meat (especially beef, because it was healthier than pork).
d. Americans needed to move toward a lifestyle that was in harmony with the ecosphere.
e. Wind power should be the only energy source.
76. What did Nevada politician Richard E. Blakemore view as the cause of the Sagebrush Rebellion?
a. conflict between competing oil companies
b. environmental movements divided over strategy
c. conflict between environmental protection and demand for energy
d. the placement of nuclear energy facilities in the West
e. conflict between religious leaders and environmental scientists
77. Why did President Carter cut off aid to Argentina in 1978?
a. because the country was ruled by a dictatorship that brutally violated human rights
b. because it brought no economic return to the United States
c. because he wanted to support the Falklands War
d. because it was ruled by a communist government
e. because Argentina was competing with the U.S. with its meat production
78. The Reagan Revolution
a. included an emphasis on global human rights.
b. introduced an expanded welfare state.
c. strengthened the labor movement.
d. included cuts to government programs.
e. had little appeal for most Americans.
79. Ronald Reagan was the most effective president at reshaping the nation’s agenda and political language since which president?
a. John Kennedy
b. Richard Nixon
c. Harry Truman
d. Bill Clinton
e. Franklin D. Roosevelt
80. What was Reagan’s reaction to the air traffic controllers’ strike?
a. He ordered permanent military jurisdiction for the nation’s air traffic control system.
b. He convinced those on strike to come back to the bargaining table and renegotiate their contracts.
c. He fired all of the air traffic controllers on strike.
d. He had the Justice Department sue PATCO, the air traffic controllers’ union.
e. He ordered the National Guard to take control.
81. Reaganomics initially produced what result in regard to the economy?
a. slow growth
b. severe recession
c. more government regulation
d. dramatic growth
e. no inflation
82. By the mid-1990s, the richest 1 percent of Americans owned how much of the nation’s wealth?
a. 15 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 30 percent
d. 40 percent
e. 50 percent
83. Reagan’s economic policies
a. expanded food stamps and school lunch programs.
b. enlarged government revenue.
c. decreased the national debt.
d. strengthened labor unions.
e. resulted in a rise in economic inequality.
84. The Moral Majority
a. wanted to ban prayer in public schools.
b. believed pornography was an expression of freedom of speech.
c. waged a “war against sin.”
d. supported Carter.
e. favored abortion.
85. The “Second Gilded Age”
a. could describe the 1980s, a decade where making deals was more profitable for companies than making products.
b. was a Mondale-Ferraro 1984 campaign slogan slamming Reagan’s coddling of the rich.
c. could describe the 1980s, a decade where organized labor made substantial gains as it had in the 1890s.
d. was the title of a 1980s documentary about “yuppies” who sold out to the financial establishment.
e. ended with a federal budget surplus.
86. Geraldine Ferraro is best known as
a. the first female candidate on a major-party presidential ticket.
b. a conservative who campaigned against the Equal Rights Amendment.
c. the leader of the Redstockings.
d. cofounder of the National Organization of Women (NOW).
e. the first female Supreme Court justice.
87. Bowers v. Hardwick
a. upheld the constitutionality of state laws outlawing homosexual acts.
b. took the United States off the gold standard.
c. ruled affirmative action was constitutional in university decisions regarding enrollment.
d. stated that a criminal had the right to a state-appointed lawyer.
e. upheld the practices of racial housing segregation.
88. In foreign policy, Reagan
a. opposed “authoritarian” noncommunist regimes.
b. embraced Carter’s emphasis on human rights.
c. decreased military spending.
d. called for a halt to the development of nuclear weapons.
e. initiated the largest military buildup in American history.
89. Determined to counter the nation’s “Vietnam syndrome,” President Reagan
a. refused to commit U.S. troops abroad.
b. sent troops to Grenada and Lebanon.
c. expanded Jimmy Carter’s policy of human rights.
d. sent troops to overthrow a repressive dictatorship in Chile.
e. refused monetary aid for the repressive governments in El Salvador and Guatemala.
90. The Iran-Contra affair
a. brought down Reagan’s cabinet, as well as high-ranking officials in the Marine Corps.
b. resulted in the seizure of a secret Iranian oil reserve owned by Oliver North.
c. was the greatest scandal of the Reagan administration.
d. refers to the U.S. efforts to overthrow the shah.
e. was quickly discovered by Congress soon after it began.
91. Mikhail Gorbachev
a. accused Reagan of presiding over an “evil empire.”
b. inaugurated political openness and economic reform in the Soviet Union.
c. was reviled by Reagan for his unwillingness to negotiate arms reduction.
d. ensured the Soviet Union would continue as a strong ally of the United States in the future.
e. was dedicated to maintaining Russia’s military budget.
92. The election of 1980 reflected
a. voters’ preference of Democrats over Republicans.
b. a desire for the end of states’ rights.
c. a willingness to return to the welfare state.
d. the end of conservatism.
e. general frustration with previous administrations.
93. What contradiction did the Reagan presidency reveal about modern conservatism?
a. Reagan’s policies enriched investors and CEOs but eviscerated the economies and communities of the industrial heartland.
b. Conservatives promised to destroy labor unions, only to depend on their political support in elections.
c. Republicans brought more women into public office than any other party, but actively legislated for men’s rights.
d. Conservatives cut spending dramatically, only to complain about a lack of public services.
e. The Republican Party was driven by young conservatives but ruled by the oldest president on record.
94. How did trickle-down economics claim to increase government tax revenues?
a. by increasing the amount of aid distributed among the poor
b. by lowering inflation
c. by the creation of a powerful welfare state
d. by lowering interest rates
e. by curbing inflation and lowering tax rates
95. Which decade was the “Me Decade”?
a. 1950s
b. 1970s
c. 1960s
d. 1980s
e. 1990s
96. What did the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 do?
a. It provided a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.
b. It restored the immigration quotas.
c. It stopped illegal immigration.
d. It banned all Mexicans from entering the United States.
e. It declared Puerto Rico a U.S. state.
97. Reagan strengthened the role of the federal government in
a. providing social aid.
b. crime control.
c. providing equal opportunities.
d. unionizing factories.
e. modernizing the national state.
98. The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984
a. created the federal parole system.
b. instituted soft sentencing guidelines.
c. temporarily abolished the death penalty.
d. reinstated the federal death penalty.
e. lowered national spending on criminal justice.
Matching
TEST 1
___ 1. Oliver North
___ 2. Phyllis Schlafly
___ 3. Henry Kissinger
___ 4. Jimmy Carter
___ 5. George Bush
___ 6. Sandra Day O’Conner
___ 7. Warren Burger
___ 8. Jerry Falwell
___ 9. Ronald Reagan
___ 10. Richard Nixon
___ 11. Geraldine Ferraro
___ 12. Mikhail Gorbachev
a. first woman appointed to the Supreme Court
b. leader of the Moral Majority
c. vice presidential candidate
d. Supreme Court chief justice
e. supporter of the Family Assistance Plan
f. national security adviser
g. Soviet leader
h. Strategic Defense Initiative
i. staunch opponent of the ERA
j. Camp David Accords
k. Iran-Contra affair
l. Reagan’s vice president
TEST 2
___ 1. Church Committee
___ 2. Pentagon Papers
___ 3. Proposition 13
___ 4. Philadelphia Plan
___ 5. stagflation
___ 6. Three Mile Island
___ 7. détente
___ 8. supply-side economics
___ 9. Iran-Contra scandal
___ 10. savings and loan crisis
___ 11. yuppies
___ 12. Camp David Accords
a. arms for hostages
b. young, successful urban professionals
c. caused by deregulation
d. easing of Cold War tensions
e. ban on raising property taxes
f. trickle-down economics
g. peace between Egypt and Israel
h. investigated the FBI and CIA
i. slow economic growth and high inflation
j. nuclear power plant accident
k. presidential involvement in Vietnam
l. affirmative action
True/False
1. Hoping to burnish his conservative credentials, President Richard Nixon refused to expand the welfare state.
2. Before the 1970s, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder.
3. The morale in the army during the later years of the Vietnam conflict mirrored the social changes sweeping America at home.
4. In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act, which required the president to seek congressional approval for the commitment
of American troops overseas.
5. After Nixon left office, the Senate held hearings that revealed the FBI had spied on millions of Americans and had tried to disrupt
the civil rights movement.
6. In 1971, for the first time in the twentieth century, the United States experienced a merchandise trade deficit.
7. By 1990, the North’s public schools were more segregated than those in the South.
8. Immediately after the end of the Vietnam War, Ford issued an unconditional pardon to all of the draft resisters.
9. As a Washington insider who had served three terms in the Senate, Jimmy Carter was well educated in domestic and foreign policies
before becoming president.
10. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 supported the “science” of eugenics.
11. Disability activists organized sit-ins in public offices to ensure that the Rehabilitation Act was put into effect.
12. In terms of foreign policy, Richard Nixon and his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, cared more about ideology than power.
13. In 1979, President Carter brought together the leaders of Israel and Egypt and brokered a historic peace agreement known as the
Camp David Accords.
14. In spite of the efforts of conservatives like Phyllis Schlafly, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress and ratified by
enough states.
15. During the 1970s, gated communities offering privacy and security became popular in cities such as Houston, Dallas, and Los
Angeles.
16. The Sagebrush Rebellion in Nevada argued that certain decision-making power should be given over to the states.
17. Ronald Reagan was a New Deal Democrat and union leader before switching parties and running for governor of California.
18. Reagan’s presidency was successful in large part because of his close, hands-on governing style that oversaw every detail.
19. Under Reagan’s tax policy, the highest tax rate fell from 70 to 28 percent.
20. Economic freedom for Reagan meant curtailing the power of unions, dismantling regulations, and radically reducing taxes.
21. The “Just Say No” campaign launched by the Reagan administration to combat drug use in the United States was a stunning
success.
22. Reagan supported the Strategic Defense Initiative, although it was not feasible technologically, and if deployed, would violate the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972.
23. The election of 1988 between George Bush and Michael Dukakis was surprisingly clean and sophisticated.
24. Reagan intended to change the American tradition of welcoming people to America by closing the doors to Mexican immigration.
1. Identify and give the historical significance of each of the following terms, events, and people in a paragraph or two.
1. Reaganomics
2. ERA
3. Warren Court
4. stagflation
5. Burger Court
6. Second Gilded Age
7. affirmative action
8. Reagan Revolution
9. Three Mile Island
10. Helsinki Accords
11. Vietnam Syndrome
12. My Lai Massacre
13. Pentagon Papers
2. Briefly explain the ways in which Richard Nixon bridged the presidencies of Kennedy and Reagan. Reflect on liberal and
conservative ideas in your response.
3. Briefly describe Ronald Reagan’s Wars on Crime and Drugs.
4. What was Jimmy Carter’s approach to human rights? Please provide specific examples.
1. Journalist Theodore White commented that both the conservatives and liberals used the term “freedom” as the foundation of their
platforms in the election of 1964. The groups demanded either “Freedom Now” or “Freedom for All.” Analyze how both groups
were using “freedom.” What meaning did they give to the word? Be sure to emphasize both the similarities and differences in
each group’s approach to the term “freedom.”
2. Analyze the historical significance of Equal Rights Amendment.
3. In the twentieth century, the 1970s was the only decade besides the 1930s in which Americans on average were poorer at the end
of the decade than when it began. Compare the economic crisis of the 1970s with that of the 1930s. What were the causes of each?
How did the government respond to each crisis? How was labor affected in each decade? What eventually turned the economy
around in each case?
4. Analyze the debate over the Equal Rights Amendment. Who was for it and who was against it? How did each side define freedom
for women? What does the debate tell us about American society in the 1970s?
5. Ultimately, how conservative was Ronald Reagan’s tenure in office? Why might some conservatives feel he did not go far
enough, while some liberals would feel that he dismantled too much?
6. Analyze the success of Reagan’s administration in both domestic and foreign policy. Explain why he left office popular with the
public, despite leaving behind an enormous national debt.
7. Compare how successful the women’s movement and the civil rights movement were by the end of 1988. What achievements had
been made? Did each group achieve its desired freedoms? What methods did each movement best employ? Which movement was
more successful, and why?
8. Offer a critique as to how America’s golden age had come to such an abrupt end by the end of the 1970s, after peaking only a decade
and a half earlier in the mid-1950s. What were the causes of its decline? What were the consequences for American organized labor
and American consumers?
9. Discuss the presidency of Jimmy Carter. What were his successes and failures, both domestically and internationally? Why was he
so unpopular after four years in office? Explain.
10. What might account for the rise of the Christian Right in the late twentieth century?
11. In 1964, Ronald Reagan gave a speech in support of Barry Goldwater. During his talk, he described the bedrock of conserv a-
tism. Describe the conservative agenda and how Reagan put it into practice once in office.
