490 CHApTEr 22 | a ConSerVatiVe tenor | period nine 1980 to the present Seeking the Main point^491491
these two ideologies, free-market economics and “traditional” moral certitudes
collided with civil rights activism, identity politics, and environmentalism. This
shift in sensibilities, especially regarding a government and society overseen by
experts, bound both the New Right and the New Left to each other and raised
the tensions between the two throughout this period.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the nation
seemed to overcome, at least temporarily, these debates in an attempt to reinvig-
orate the ideals that united the nation. But that unified front proved short-lived.
The Bush administration’s response to the attacks, the administration’s attempts
to overhaul key New Deal legislation, and lingering anger over the contested
presidential election of 2000 deepened the ideological divide and signaled the
dawn of a new era of bitter political partisanship and cultural conflict.Seeking the Main Point
As you read the documents that follow, keep these broad questions in mind.
These questions will help you understand the relationship between the doc-
uments in this chapter and the historical changes that they represent. As you
reflect on these questions, determine which themes and which documents best
address them.•
To what extent did the United States’ role in the world change during these
years?•
How did international concerns shift during this period, both on the part of
the United States and on the part of other world regions like Europe, Latin
America, and Asia? What were the primary economic and political causes of
this shift? In what ways did science play a role?•
Between 1980 and 2001, the United States shifted from fighting a Cold War
with a global superpower to fighting a war on terror with stateless terror-
ist networks. How did this change shape American citizens’ and policy
makers’ sense of America in the world and of the role that should be played
by the American government?•
By 2001, the United States had moved from being primarily an industrial
economy to a service or information economy. What are some examples of
this change that you can extrapolate from these documents?•
How did migration patterns change during this period? How did they
remain the same?23_STA_2012_ch22_489-522.indd 491 17/04/15 11:34 AM