Changes

7. The Warren Court lasted from 1953-1969.  Aside from being activist, the Warren Court seems to have favored federal over state power, as it decided that the federal Bill of Right should apply to the states.  The Warren Court was also very political, supporting liberal policies in its “interpretation” of the Constitution, such as removing religion from public life and favoring criminals.  I find most interesting the Court’s apparent view of the 1st Amendment: it contorted freedom of speech to apply to pornography but not prayer, and, it would seem, loosely read the establishment of religion clause to prohibit non-compulsory prayer.

7. The Warren Court lasted from 1953-1969.  Aside from being activist, the Warren Court seems to have favored federal over state power, as it decided that the federal Bill of Right should apply to the states.  The Warren Court was also very political, supporting liberal policies in its “interpretation” of the Constitution, such as removing religion from public life and favoring criminals.  I find most interesting the Court’s apparent view of the 1st Amendment: it contorted freedom of speech to apply to pornography but not prayer, and, it would seem, loosely read the establishment of religion clause to prohibit non-compulsory prayer.

Honors

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2. Debate: were the 1950s more conservative than today?  Political-policy wise, they were more liberal, and understandably, because Democrats had controlled the better part of politics for over 20 years.  However, looking at these political policies, at least two (high taxes and the draft) are probably just left over from WWI and WWII.  The number of Communists in government was high only because Communism in general was “in style.”  And the threat of nuclear war decreased with the not only the installation, but the development of defense strategy along with the decline of the Soviet Union itself.  So, many of these political policies existed more because of the times than because of a political agenda.  Socially speaking, the 1950s were almost definitely more conservative.  Abortion was illegal, contraception was less used, gay rights did not even exist, school prayer remained, and LBJ’s modern “Welfare State” had not been ushered in yet.  Having sex with anyone and whenever you wanted was frowned upon.  However, the 1950s contained the seed of their own destruction.  They were a conservative time, but not due enough to Christian practice and moral awareness.  Instead, their conservatism was more due to societal customs and unwritten rules of conduct, which would inevitably lead to rebellion in a way that true moral understanding would not.

2. Debate: were the 1950s more conservative than today?  Political-policy wise, they were more liberal, and understandably, because Democrats had controlled the better part of politics for over 20 years.  However, looking at these political policies, at least two (high taxes and the draft) are probably just left over from WWI and WWII.  The number of Communists in government was high only because Communism in general was “in style.”  And the threat of nuclear war decreased with the not only the installation, but the development of defense strategy along with the decline of the Soviet Union itself.  So, many of these political policies existed more because of the times than because of a political agenda.  Socially speaking, the 1950s were almost definitely more conservative.  Abortion was illegal, contraception was less used, gay rights did not even exist, school prayer remained, and LBJ’s modern “Welfare State” had not been ushered in yet.  Having sex with anyone and whenever you wanted was frowned upon.  However, the 1950s contained the seed of their own destruction.  They were a conservative time, but not due enough to Christian practice and moral awareness.  Instead, their conservatism was more due to societal customs and unwritten rules of conduct, which would inevitably lead to rebellion in a way that true moral understanding would not.