Defining Documents in American History: The 1980s (1980-1989) - Defining Documents in American History

The United States witnessed major socioeconomic change in the 1980s. The final years of the Carter administration caused many Americans to embrace a new conservatism socially. Both working-age Americans and affluent retirees flocked to the country's Sun Belt regions resulting in a change in the political climate that strengthened conservatism.