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Reading 9.2
Reagan and Conservatism
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan | 40th President of the United States who used his charisma to build large support for his conservative ideology, such as supply-side economics and an aggressive anti-communist foreign policy. |
| Election of 1980 | Presidential election won by Ronald Reagan that marked a resurgence of conservatism through a majority of blue collar workers voting Republican, which ended the historic New Deal coalition. |
| Iran Hostage Crisis | Diplomatic emergency involving American hostages being held in Iran that President Carter struggled to deal with and ended with their release on the day of President Reagan’s inauguration. |
| Supply-Side Economics | Economic theory proposed by Arthur Laffer and adopted by President Reagan to stimulate the economy by reducing taxes, decreasing regulations and allowing free trade. |
| Reaganomics | Nickname given to President Reagn’s implementation of supply-side economics, which contrasted greatly with the Keynesian economics long favored by the Democrats. |
| Trickle-Down Economics | Economic theory that proposed tax breaks and benefits for the wealthy would expand the economy and eventually benefit everyone else, which some critics compared to Reaganomics. |
| Economic Recovery Tax Act (1981) | Congressional law passed as part of Reaganomics that included a 25% decrease in personal income taxes and other tax cuts that mostly benefited businesses and the wealthy. |
| Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) | Type of investment account created under the Economic Recovery Tax Act that allows people to invest a certain amount every year without paying taxes on it until they retire. |
| Boll Weevils | Nickname given to conservative Southern Democrats in Congress who helped Republicans cut more than $40 billion from domestic programs during the Reagan Administration. |
| Deregulation | Ease of restrictions on business practices such as corporate mergers and environmental protections, which was a key component of Reaganomics. |
| James Watt | Secretary of the Interior under President Reagan who opened federal lands for increased coal and timber production and offshore waters for oil drilling as a part of deregulation under Reaganomics. |
| Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) | Union decertified by President Reagan during an air traffic controller strike, which had a chilling effect on unions and their membership. |
| Early 1980s Recession | Major economic downturn under the Reagan Administration that rebounded through low inflation, tax cuts and large federal deficits, but widened the gap between rich and poor. |
| Yuppies | Nickname for young urban professionals who predominantly part of the upper-income groups who benefited greatly from Reaganomics. |
| Sandra Day O’Connor | Conservative Supreme Court Justice appointed by President Reagan who was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and often served as a swing vote. |
| Antonin Scalia | Conservative Supreme Court Justice appointed by President Reagan who was known to promote the legal ideology of originalism and textualism. |
| Anthony Kennedy | Conservative Supreme Court Justice appointed by President Reagan who often served as a swing vote after the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor. |
| William Rehnquist | Conservative Supreme Court Justice who President Reagan nominated to be the chief justice in 1986 and was known for being a states’ rights enthusiast. |
| Election of 1984 | Presidential election President Reagan won in a landslide through his charismatic and optimistic “It’s Morning Again in America” theme. |
| Federal Deficit | Total national debt owed by the national government, which tripled under the Reagan Administration because of his large tax cuts and increased military spending. |
| Trade Deficit | Amount by which the cost of a country’s imports exceeds the value of its exports, which was a major issue during the Reagan Administration and led to the United States becoming a debtor nation again. |
| Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act (1985) | Congressional law passed under President Reagan that provided for across-the-board spending cuts over concerns of the ballooning federal deficit. |
| Great Communicator | Nickname given to President Reagan for his charisma and his ability to simply, but effectively convey his thoughts to the country through his speeches. |
| George H. W. Bush | 41st President of the United States who ran on a promise of no new taxes, but after being elected angered voters by agreeing to $133 billion in new taxes to combat the growing federal deficit. |
| “No New Taxes” | Campaign pledge by presidential candidate George H. W. Bush in the election of 1988 to not raise taxes, which he broke by agreeing to $133 billion in new taxes to combat the growing federal deficit. |
| Clarence Thomas | Supreme Court Justice whose nomination by President H. W. Bush was controversial because of his strongly conservative judicial philosophy and accusations of sexual assault. |
| Savings and Loans Institutions (S&Ls) | Financial institutions that specialize in residential mortgages, which started to fail in mass during the 1980s and were controversially bailed out by the national government. |
| Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) | Congressional law that prohibited discrimination against citizens with physical and mental disabilities in hiring, transportation and public accommodation. |
| Political Polarization | Process by which opinions on issues grow farther apart, which has become a major issue in the United States between the more conservative rural areas and the more liberal urban areas. |
| Swing State | Small number of states with relatively large numbers of electoral votes that are not politically dominated by a political party and could potentially decide a presidential election. |
| Gerrymandering | Manipulation of voting districts to favor one party or class over another, which can be used to create “safe seats” and contributes to political polarization. |
| Safe Seats | Voting districts created through gerrymandering that reliably vote for candidates from a specific political party. |
| CNN | First 24-hour all-news network on television launched in 1980 that helped mark the growing number of American media platforms that opened up to many different views and voices. |
| Rush Limbaugh | Conservative talk radio host who started to build a large following in the 1980s, which helped mark the growing number of American media platforms opened up to many different views and voices. |
| Fairness Doctrine | Requirement removed in 1987 that forced broadcasters to present the news and issues of public debate in a manner the FCC considered honest, equitable and balanced. |
| Abortion | Controversial issue over reproductive rights that was upheld in Roe v. Wade, but has become a major target for conservatives over the years. |
| Brady Bill (1993) | Congressional law that mandated background checks and a five-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns, which was fiercely opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). |
| National Rifle Association (NRA) | Powerful gun rights advocacy group that tried to mobilize its supporters to overturn the Brady Bill and defeat politicians who supported it. |
| District of Columbia v. Heller | Landmark SCOTUS case that ruled the 2nd Amendment provides an individual the right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia. |
| #MeToo | Women’s rights movement started in 2017 that emphasized the problems of sexual harassment and abuse in society, which led to law and regulation changes surrounding sexual harassment and assault. |
| Rodney King | African American man who was severely beaten by police in L.A. in 1991 and the jury's acquittal of the officers sparked large riots and ignited questions about racial disparity in the justice system. |
| Black Lives Matter | Civil rights movement started in 2013 to campaign for reforms in police training and arrest procedures. |
| LGBTQ | Acronym often used as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity, which is a divisive issue between conservatives and liberals. |
| “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” | Policy created under President Clinton in 1993 that stopped the military from asking for people to identify their sexual identity, but permitted the military to expel people for being gay or lesbian. |
| Obergefell v. Hodges | Landmark SCOTUS case that ruled the 14th Amendment protects the right of same-sex couples to marry. |
| Undocumented Immigrants | People living in a country without the proper authorization, which is a controversial issue that liberals and conservatives struggle to agree on. |
| Great Recession | One of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression that was caused by a housing bubble and major banking crisis in 2008. |
| Affordable Care Act (2010) | Congressional law passed under the Obama Administration that increased health insurance coverage for the uninsured and reformed the health insurance market. |
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