Goldwater vs Great Society
Jack Marder
History 352
October 26, 2010
Conservative vs. Liberal
The 1964 Presidential election was an election that changed American history. For the first time since the 1932 Presidential election between Hoover and Roosevelt, the American population was able to choose a president from two candidates with opposing views and ideological mindsets. The United States was going through a time of change with protests, assassinations, and war, which caused social and political discomfort. After the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the country went into shock. Supporters of the charismatic Kennedy were deeply saddened feeling left without a leader with the same outlook and liberal mindset. Lyndon B. Johnson then took over the reign as President for the remaining year, hoping to carry out Kennedy’s ideologies and legislations. The following year during the 1964 Presidential race, he became the Democratic candidate, hoping to become re-elected as President. On the Republican side, Barry Goldwater was a renowned conservative, and after beating Governor Nelson Rockefeller, became the hope for all conservatives across the nation.
In 1960, Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater established his conservative principles through The Conscience of a Conservative. Written at a time of great change in America with experiments in big government, the New Deal, and the climax of the Cold War, the views of Goldwater in the Conscience of a Conservative were looked at as revolutionary, yet controversial in the Republican eye. He believed and argued that freedom was the highest value in American society while also stating that compromising for something one does not believe in is unjust. In his book, Goldwater stated that he felt as though putting the power in the hands of a big government was not ideal. He believed that local small governments fit the best interest of the people. Goldwater said that we the people “can be conquered by bombs or by
History 352
October 26, 2010
Conservative vs. Liberal
The 1964 Presidential election was an election that changed American history. For the first time since the 1932 Presidential election between Hoover and Roosevelt, the American population was able to choose a president from two candidates with opposing views and ideological mindsets. The United States was going through a time of change with protests, assassinations, and war, which caused social and political discomfort. After the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the country went into shock. Supporters of the charismatic Kennedy were deeply saddened feeling left without a leader with the same outlook and liberal mindset. Lyndon B. Johnson then took over the reign as President for the remaining year, hoping to carry out Kennedy’s ideologies and legislations. The following year during the 1964 Presidential race, he became the Democratic candidate, hoping to become re-elected as President. On the Republican side, Barry Goldwater was a renowned conservative, and after beating Governor Nelson Rockefeller, became the hope for all conservatives across the nation.
In 1960, Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater established his conservative principles through The Conscience of a Conservative. Written at a time of great change in America with experiments in big government, the New Deal, and the climax of the Cold War, the views of Goldwater in the Conscience of a Conservative were looked at as revolutionary, yet controversial in the Republican eye. He believed and argued that freedom was the highest value in American society while also stating that compromising for something one does not believe in is unjust. In his book, Goldwater stated that he felt as though putting the power in the hands of a big government was not ideal. He believed that local small governments fit the best interest of the people. Goldwater said that we the people “can be conquered by bombs or by
Cited: "The 1960s — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.history.com/topics/1960s>. Goldwater, Barry M. The Conscience of a Conservative. Shepherdsville, KY: Victor Pub., 1960. Print. "HBO Hijacks Barry Goldwater 's Ideology - HUMAN EVENTS." Conservative News, Views & Books - HUMAN EVENTS. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=17198>. "LBJ Biography." Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library & Museum. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/biographys.hom/lbj_bio.asp>. Levy, Peter B. America in the Sixties--Right, Left, and Center: a Documentary History. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998. Print.