1960 and it's subsequent decades proved to be a remarkable time for the world in general, but very specifically for America. The first Roman Catholic president was elected; the birth control pill was introduced, and we confronted the question of nuclear war. We also saw the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement and the Women's Rights Movement as we learned first-hand and up close and personal about civil disobedience and political assassinations.

During this period, the conservative right was an anti-communist movement that promoted conservatism in government; increased military spending; withdrawal from the United Nations and reducing government funded social programs. They viewed the student demonstrations against the Vietnam War as a communist plot, as were the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Rights Movement. Conservative Americans called the changes that we sought, and the questions that we asked, "un-American" and "un-patriotic".

Eisenhower had disappointed the conservative right. William Buckley charged that he had done nothing for the Republican Party and nothing to develop a

In 1973, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade and legalized abortion through the first trimester of pregnancy. In response, conservatives created Stop E.R.A and the National Right to Life Committee. Conservatives also held the first Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., and established the Heritage Foundation think tank. Howard Phillips, a Republican National Committee staff member founded the Conservative Caucus and visited all 435 congressional districts to get support. They seized on these issues and used them to organize and build political influence and power. They lied to people about the real meaning and intent of the issues. They organized around anti-feminism and they spread fear and hatred, and they raised a lot of money. The ERA was used as the catalyst to build their organization. The new conservative right formed a calculated and unholy alliance with Phyllis Schlafly and tied abortion rights, women's rights, gay rights and the destruction of the family to the ERA ratification campaign.

The social movements by women, African-Americans, students and anti-war activists reached their height in the 1970s. Legislation and laws were passed that offered equal rights opportunities, abortion rights. In the America of the 1970s it was shameful to be racists or anti-Semitic, but there was no shame attached to being sexist or homophobic. As a result, the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), abortion rights, and the second wave of feminism became the critical battleground for those who oppose the changing role and status of women. The ERA guarantees economic opportunities for women; abortion rights give her control over her body. The religious right and the secular right were and are opposed to these issues because they prefer a woman's place to be in the family kitchen and it is best if she is "bare foot and pregnant". They want a woman to be passively under her husband's domain and rule.

Reagan began his political life as a Democrat and a union activist. In 1941, his then wife, actress and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Board Member, Jane Wyman arranged to have him appointed to a board vacancy. Reagan remained on the board and on March 10, 1947 was appointed to complete the unfinished term of President for actor Robert Montgomery when Montgomery resigned to become a film producer. That October the House Un-American Activities Committee began holding hearings investigating the film industry. Reagan was a friendly witness and testified before the committee willingly (Moldea 71-72).

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4375
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page double spaced)