The Civil Rights Movement: The Rise Of Religious Rights

The rise of the Religious right was a movement to incorporate religion further into the average American lifestyle. It marked the period of a religious awakening in the United States, heavily influenced and marketed by the Evangelical Jerry Falwell and Ronald Reagan, amongst other celebrities and activists. Many of these activists were unhappy with American society progressing towards the left—specifically on issues of civil rights, education, and the family unit. They gained many supporters through common ideals of religion and gender roles, and used clever marketing and tactics to contribute to the growth of support for their cause. The rise of Religious Right sought to make Christianity more prevalent in American society and politics. The land that became the United States of America was originally colonized as a safe haven for religious groups seeking refuge from oppressors in Europe. Following other countries, it is a common stigma to associate the politic, economic and sociological components of a country with religious morals. During the nineteenth and twentieth century, the civil rights movement …show more content…
The battle between creationism and evolution is one that is still fought today, but evangelicals and scientists of either side fought heavily against each other during the rise of Religious Right. A creationist named Duane Gish argued that the Earth was actually much younger than everyone thought. He supported the existence of dinosaurs, but claimed that they existed at the same time as human beings (Sutton 88). On the other hand, courts continued to rule in favor of the teaching of evolution in the name of science. The McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education, the court justified the teachings of evolution and creation-science by ruling that evolution does not outright claim the absence of a creator (Matsumura