I grew up in near Tallahassee, Florida in the 1970s, and there were practically no Republicans in the state at that time. The first presidential election I remember paying attention to was Jimmy Carter. He was a popular choice for president in my area, but there was a lot of disappointment in his administration. The big shift to the GOP came with Reagan, at least in my state. As I remember, the shift to the right was ushered in not because of civil rights, but because of Reagan's optimism, Roe v. Wade, and the emergence of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority. For most of my life, Christians had not been particularly politically active, but Roe v. Wade was a huge part of why the Christian Right became a thing.
It is lamentable that the parties have become so polarized. No one is willing to compromise for fear of being labeled a traitor.
Yes, I think I'll have to devote an essay to the political mobilization of evangelical Christians. It's a big part of the story of the last fifty years in American politics.
I grew up in near Tallahassee, Florida in the 1970s, and there were practically no Republicans in the state at that time. The first presidential election I remember paying attention to was Jimmy Carter. He was a popular choice for president in my area, but there was a lot of disappointment in his administration. The big shift to the GOP came with Reagan, at least in my state. As I remember, the shift to the right was ushered in not because of civil rights, but because of Reagan's optimism, Roe v. Wade, and the emergence of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority. For most of my life, Christians had not been particularly politically active, but Roe v. Wade was a huge part of why the Christian Right became a thing.
It is lamentable that the parties have become so polarized. No one is willing to compromise for fear of being labeled a traitor.
Yes, I think I'll have to devote an essay to the political mobilization of evangelical Christians. It's a big part of the story of the last fifty years in American politics.