US History

Contemporary United States (1968 to the present)

Law and Government

This collection uses primary sources to explore the rise of conservatism in the US in the 1980s.

An excerpt from a 1987 interview on foreign policy with Reagan administration official Kenneth Adelman.

A 1985 description of the Reagan administration’s Strategic Defense Initiative.

An excerpt from a 1988 interview with Albert Carnesale about the Reagan administration’s foreign policy and legacy.

A 1981 letter from Jerry Falwell fundraising for the “Old Time Gospel Hour.” 

A poster criticizing the Reagan administration’s policies on HIV and AIDS.

A 1988 cartoon satirizing the Reagan administration’s policies on homelessness. 

An excerpt from the 1986 testimony of a former employee of a crack house in Washington, DC.

An excerpt from a 1986 speech in which First Lady Nancy Reagan urges America to “just say no” to drugs.

An excerpt from 1981 letters in which the president of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization offers reasons for a strike.

News coverage of plans for the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization strike in 1981.

A 1988 cartoon satirizing debt during the Reagan administration.

Questions

1. Using the interviews with [Kenneth Adelman](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/553) and [Albert Carnesale](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/555) and the description of the [Strategic Defense Initiative](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/554), describe the foreign policy agenda of the Reagan administration. How did it evolve over time? What was its legacy?
2. Using the [letter from Jerry Falwell](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/556), the [poster](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/557), and the [cartoon about homelessness](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/558), consider how the political climate of the 1980s shaped the Reagan administration’s response to urban issues. 
3. According to the [testimony of a former employee of a crack house](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/559) and [Nancy Reagan’s speech](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/560), what were the effects of crack cocaine in the 1980s? What efforts were made to combat the epidemic?
4. What reasons did the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization give for their strike (addressed in the [letter from the president of PATCO](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/561) and [news coverage of PATCO](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/562)? How did the Reagan administration respond to the strike? Why did the administration take this approach? 

Activity

Have students read the [testimony of a former employee of a crack house](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/rise-of-conservatism-in-the-1980s/sources/559) and then use online resources such as newspapers to research the contemporary discourse around prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Working in groups, assign them roles such as “supporter of stiff sentencing” and “supporter of programs focused on rehabilitation,” and have them discuss the issue from these positions. Then allow them to propose their own strategies for addressing the crisis around drugs in America today. Such strategies might include funding for social programs, reform of sentencing laws, enhanced border patrols, etc. A potential extra resource for this project is Michelle Alexander’s 2012 book *The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness* (The New Press).

Teaching Guide: Exploring the Rise of Conservatism

Resources

1. [Timeline of modern American conservatism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_modern_American_conservatism), Wikipedia. 
2. [Ronald Reagan’s Life](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/reagan/), American Experience, PBS. 
3. [The 1970s and the 1980s: The Decline of Liberalism and the Triumph of Conservatism](http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist111/1970sand1980s.html), Humboldt State University. 

Overview

During the 1980s, the political center of the United States continued to shift toward conservatism. Under the Reagan administration, the nation remained committed to fighting the Cold War, through traditional methods of diplomacy and military intervention as well as the development of new technologies. On the domestic front, the Reagan administration struggled against the crises of HIV and AIDS, homelessness, and the epidemic use of crack cocaine, while also taking a hardline stance against powerful labor unions. This set of speeches, interviews, political cartoons, and artifacts allows you to explore the rise of conservatism in these areas, as well as the critiques that were posed by activists and politicians. How was conservatism redefined during the 1980s?

English

Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s

rise-of-conservatism-1980s_06_59a1326ccb6aa3f32ffca16aa8b707de.jpg

Courtesy of The State Historical Society of Missouri via Missouri Hub.

Engelhardt, Tom, “But here’s a cheery note - The president signed a proclamation saying families are the backbone of the nation,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/59a1326ccb6aa3f32ffca16aa8b707de. 

A 1988 cartoon satirizing the Reagan administration’s policies on homelessness.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 6 of 11 in the Primary Source Set Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s