Why, After the Crushing Defeat of Its Candidate in 1964

question 57

Essay

Why, after the crushing defeat of its candidate in 1964, was the conservative right in America able to achieve a landslide victory for Ronald Reagan in 1980? Was this victory the result of a difference between Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan or of changes that had occurred in America and the world in the intervening 16 years? Explain.

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Definitions:

Dred Scott Decision

An 1857 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court.

Moderate Republicans

Members of the Republican Party in the United States who hold centrist views, advocating for policies that are not too conservative or liberal.

Ostend Manifesto

A document from 1854 in which American diplomats in Europe suggested that the U.S. should attempt to purchase Cuba from Spain or justify war if Spain refused, to expand slavery.

Mexican War

Also known as the Mexican-American War, fought from 1846 to 1848, which resulted in the United States acquiring territories such as California and New Mexico.