AP Success - AP US History: Barry Goldwater and Modern Conservatism
The 1964 presidental election witnessed the Republican Party taking a extreme stance against communism.
Now, my fellow Americans, the tide has been running against freedom. Our people have followed false prophets. We must, and we shall, return to proven ways– not because they are old, but because they are true. We must, and we shall, set the tide running again in the cause of freedom. And this party, with its every action, every word, every breath, and every heartbeat, has but a single resolve, and that is freedom – freedom made orderly for this nation by our constitutional government; freedom under a government limited by laws of nature and of nature’s God; freedom – balanced so that liberty lacking order will not become the slavery of the prison cell; balanced so that liberty lacking order will not become the license of the mob and of the jungle...Today, as then, but more urgently and more broadly than then, the task of preserving and enlarging freedom at home and safeguarding it from the forces of tyranny abroad is great enough to challenge all our resources and to require all our strength. Anyone who joins us in all sincerity, we welcome. Those who do not care for our cause, we don’t expect to enter our ranks in any case...I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
Barry Goldwater, Republican Nomination Acceptance Speech (1964)
Question 1
Briefly identify ONE perspective about America's political future expressed in the excerpt.
Question 2
Briefly explain ONE specific historical development from 1945 to 1964 that influenced the message expressed in the excerpt.
Question 3
Briefly explain ONE specific way the excerpt's message influenced American politics from 1964 to 1980.
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