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Difficulty: MediumPolitical Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

"If a vocal minority, however well-intentioned, prevails over reason and the will of the majority, this Nation has no future as a free society... And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support. I pledged in my campaign for the Presidency to end the war in a way that we could win the peace... Let us be united for peace. Let us also be united against defeat. Because let us understand: North Vietnam cannot defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that. Let us resolve under God to have the strength to guide and to protect this Nation."

— President Richard Nixon, Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969

Which of the following best describes the primary domestic political goal of the strategy outlined in the excerpt?

  1. A
    Generate immediate congressional authorization for direct military intervention in Indochina, similar to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
  2. B
    Establish supply-side economic reforms, including major federal deregulation and tax cuts, to stimulate domestic industrial production.
  3. Build a new conservative electoral coalition by appealing to suburban and working-class voters who felt alienated by social turbulence and the counterculture.Answer
  4. D
    Dismantle the core programs of the New Deal by immediately eliminating institutions like the Social Security Administration.

Answer

Build a new conservative electoral coalition by appealing to suburban and working-class voters who felt alienated by social turbulence and the counterculture.
The correct answer is correct because President Richard Nixon's appeal to the 'silent majority' was a calculated effort to build a new Republican coalition. By positioning his administration as the voice of law-abiding, working-class, and suburban Americans who were fatigued by the protests of the anti-war movement and the counterculture, Nixon initiated a political realignment that shifted key demographic groups away from the Democratic Party.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical context and target audience of the excerpt.
Identify that the speech was delivered in 1969 by Richard Nixon, appealing to a 'silent majority' against a 'vocal minority' protesting the Vietnam War.
This establishes that the rhetoric was designed to address domestic polarization and social unrest of the late 1960s.
2
Evaluate the political realignment strategy of the Nixon administration.
Recognize that Nixon sought to capitalize on middle-class resentment of the counterculture and anti-war movement to construct a new Republican majority.
Nixon's strategy aimed to peel away traditional Democratic voters, especially in the South and suburban Sun Belt, initiating a conservative political realignment.
3
Verify and rule out incorrect options based on chronological and policy errors.
Differentiate between Nixon's political strategy, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964), Reagan's supply-side economics (1980s), and the core programs of the New Deal.
This confirms that the only historically accurate political goal of the 'silent majority' appeal was building a new conservative coalition.

Key Concept

Political Realignment and the Rise of Conservatism
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Topics

Political Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

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