How Did Jimmy Carter Influence The Religious Right Movement

Socially conservative views often characterize the religious right, “a coalition of conservative Protestant Christians” who often “use the language of faith and quasi-religious organizations to affect the political process” The religious right had a profound effect on politics of the 1980s. Thousands were mobilized to vote and their effect was so strong that in a sense the religious right became its own voting bloc. Jimmy Carter was one of the first presidents to feel the influence of the religious right; however, the religious right had a very distinct and lasting effect as a result of Ronald Reagan’s presidency while Bill Clinton often suffered incessant backlash during his presidency.
With the 1976 election of Jimmy Carter the nation saw the election of a professed “born-again” Christian but did not realize it would serve as a catalyst for the social conservative religious right movement and ultimately force Carter to be a one-term president. Carter born into a southern Baptist denomination embraces a “secular quest for justice” during his presidency. Freedman describes Carter as a unique, “combination of modernity with conservatism” which ultimately allows him to, “win over both religious and secular voters” in …show more content…
In fact, his Christianity helped him garner the support of religious voters which put him in office in 1976. However, his socially liberal policies brought about incessant backlash much like Bill Clinton saw during his administration. On the other hand, Ronald Reagan despite his lack of policy action was heavily praised and deemed the poster child of the religious conservative movement. Not only did the religious right alter the way America views policy but the way American citizen’s view their presidents. The religious right makes citizens reconsider the importance of moral and personal integrity that is to be upheld by public