CLEP US History II

Answer: D - The modern-day Republican Party is most closely associated with conservatism, a political philosophy that champions “traditional” values, limited change, and minimal federal oversight. The GOP has been associated with the conservative school of political thought since the 1930s (in response to the socially progressive agenda of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal), though its conservative approach to business and the role of federal government became core to the party decades earlier. In addition to limiting the government’s involvement in the affairs of its citizens, the American conservative ideology also promotes restricting social change (on issues such as marriage equality and reproductive rights) and minimal fiscal regulation (low taxes and reduced oversight of business). The term does not mean that the philosophy’s adherents are conservative on every issue-they tend to be quite liberal when it comes to defense spending and the president’s use of war powers. Since the 1970s, American conservatives have also been strongly linked to religious conservatives, which led to the rise of the Christian Right and the inclusion of many faith-based initiatives in Republican Party platforms since 1980 (e.g. Mandatory school prayer). It is not uncommon for American adherents to libertarianism to align with conservative Republicans.