social conservatism in the United States

File:Sometimes The Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart (32524097692).jpg in Washington, D.C. in 2017]]

{{main|United States anti-abortion movement}}

The United States anti-abortion movement opposes induced abortion on moral and religious grounds and supports its legal prohibition or restriction. Social conservatives supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade and use the term "pro-life" as opposed to "pro-choice".{{Cite web |title=Definition of PRO-LIFE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro-life |access-date=2022-04-06 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en |archive-date=July 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728022813/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pro-life |url-status=live }} These beliefs are based on the belief of "fetal personhood".{{cite book|title=The Abortion Debate|last=Farrell|first=Courtney|publisher=ABDO Publishing Company|year=2010|isbn=9781617852640|pages=6–7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxx6AgAAQBAJ&q=social+conservatism}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LOzfQEP3H8AC&pg=PA195 |page=195 |title=Encyclopedia of women in American politics |first1= Jeffrey D. |last1=Schultz |first2=Laura A. |last2=Van Assendelft |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1999 |isbn=1-57356-131-2 |series=The American political landscape |edition=1}} Personhood arguments focus on giving a fetus the status of a person which then entitles them to the right to life.{{Cite journal|last=Seipel|first=Peter|year=2014|title=Is There Sufficient Common Ground to Resolve the Abortion Debate?|journal=The Journal of Value Inquiry|volume=48|issue=3|pages=517–31|doi=10.1007/s10790-014-9436-y|s2cid=145389689}} Anti-abortion beliefs tend to be associated with conservative Christian groups, especially the Catholic Church.

Social conservatives often oppose feminism, believing that men and women are fundamentally different and their traditional gender roles in society should be maintained. They often promote women's traditional roles as homemakers and caregivers, discouraging women from participating in the workforce, government, or military.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jWj5OBvTh1IC&pg=PA35 |chapter=Antifeminism |first=Michael |last=Kimmel |author-link=Michael Kimmel | editor-last1 = Kimmel | editor-first1 = Michael | editor-last2 = Aronson | editor-first2 = Amy | editor-link1 = Michael Kimmel | editor-link2 = Amy Aronson | title = Men and masculinities a social, cultural, and historical encyclopedia | pages = 35–37 | publisher = ABC-CLIO | location = Santa Barbara, California | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-1-57607-774-0 }} A number of social conservatives favor complementarianism with respect to gender roles.{{cite book |last1=Giles |first1=Kevin |title=What the Bible Actually Teaches on Women |date=October 19, 2018 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-3368-3 |page=40 |language=en}}

Social conservatives often blame feminism for many social problems ailing American families. They hold that feminism in modern times has created an upsurge in the non-married population, undermined male authority in families, and contributed to the decline of the traditional family. Many cite the declining birth rate due to legalized abortion.{{cite web |url= http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_GraphicalDisplay.aspx?ListNames=%22Total%20Fertility%20Rate,%20History%20plus%20Forecast%22&HistFor=True&GrpOp=0&Dim1=175&File=0 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140222012232/http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_GraphicalDisplay.aspx?ListNames=%22Total%20Fertility%20Rate,%20History%20plus%20Forecast%22&HistFor=True&GrpOp=0&Dim1=175&File=0 |url-status= dead |archive-date= 22 February 2014 |title= Total Fertility Rate of the United States, History plus Forecast |publisher=University of Denver |website=The Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures | access-date = 26 April 2012}} Others have cited the rising rate of single mother families due to rising rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births, and the resulting psychological and economic toll on children. Children of single or divorced parents are more likely to suffer from poverty and to be incarcerated for behavioral problems.{{cite web|first=Stacey|last=Snowdon|title=DIVORCE AND ITS EFFECTS ON CHILDREN|url=http://www.wright-house.com/ac/papers97/Snowdon-ac1.html|year=1997|publisher=Advocates for Children program, College Park Scholars, University of Maryland|access-date=14 November 2011|archive-date=March 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330021434/http://www.wright-house.com/ac/papers97/Snowdon-ac1.html|url-status=live}}

Ever since the sexual revolution in 1960s United States, sexual ethics have been a point of contention in the culture war between social conservatives and liberals. Social conservatives with familialist leanings call on the government to exert moral leadership over sexual mores and actively promote family values.{{cite book |last1=Blau |first1=Joel |last2=Abramovitz |first2=Mimi |title=The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-538526-7 |page=169 |language=en}} They stress the sanctity of marriage and childbirth, blaming social liberalism for the rise in casual sex, premarital sex, masturbation, out-of-wedlock births, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and pornography ever since the mid-20th century.

Opposition to pornography is a traditional stance of social conservatives in the United States. Many blame pornography for corrupting children, encouraging sexual violence against women, promoting casual sex, and destroying marriages.{{cite web |last1=Hammer |first1=Josh |title=Porn Is Not a Blessing of Liberty |url=https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/12/porn-is-not-a-blessing-of-liberty |publisher=First Things |access-date=October 14, 2020 |language=en |date=December 11, 2019 |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314155949/https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/12/porn-is-not-a-blessing-of-liberty |url-status=live }} Many conservative Christians oppose pornography on the basis of biblical teachings equating lust with adultery.{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-pornography/|title=Bible Verses about Pornography|website=biblestudytools.com|access-date=November 20, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331122926/https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-pornography/|url-status=live}}

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, formerly known as Morality in Media, is a socially conservative organization that advances the movement against pornography.{{Cite book | first=Andrew R. | last=Lewis | publisher=Cambridge University Press | title=The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars | page=54 | year=2017}}{{Cite web | first=Michael | last=Gold | work=The New York Times | title=Walmart Pulls Cosmo From Checkout. Plus! Guess Who's Claiming Victory. | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/media/walmart-cosmo.html | date=March 28, 2018 | access-date=April 25, 2020 | archive-date=May 4, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504020529/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/media/walmart-cosmo.html | url-status=live }}

Social conservatives are concerned with the moral education and possibly age-inappropriate information children receive from sex education classes in public schools. They prefer abstinence-only sex education for its compatibility with traditional Christian ethics regarding chastity and the sanctity of marriage. Abstinence-only sex education teaches that sex is limited to the bounds of marriage, and that premarital sex is unacceptable. Conversely social conservatives oppose comprehensive sex education as it teaches allegedly morally questionable concepts such as birth control, which they believe leads to premarital sex, sexually transmitted infections, and teenage pregnancy.{{cite book |last1=Josephson |first1=Jyl J. |title=Rethinking Sexual Citizenship |date=2016 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-1-4384-6047-5 |language=en |quote=From the perspective of social conservatives, the grant requirements ensure that organizations that support abstinence-only and conservative sexual morality are provided with funding under the program.}} The wearing of purity rings among unmarried women is encouraged by social conservatives in order to preserve traditional Christian notions regarding human sexuality.{{cite web |last1=Fantz |first1=Ashley Fantz |url=https://poststar.com/lifestyles/pledging-their-purity-with-fingers-crossed/article_812ad326-4169-5b9c-97b0-56bdea910f47.html |title=Pledging their purity, with fingers crossed |publisher=The Post-Star |access-date=October 14, 2020 |language=en |date=May 31, 2005 |archive-date=October 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014171659/https://poststar.com/lifestyles/pledging-their-purity-with-fingers-crossed/article_812ad326-4169-5b9c-97b0-56bdea910f47.html |url-status=live }}

Social conservatism opposes same-sex marriage, civil unions, LGBT adoption, and other LGBT rights, as homosexuality goes against fundamental Christian teachings that marriage is between a man and a woman. Social conservatives often believe that homosexuality is abnormal, that the recognition of same-sex unions will promote homosexuality in society, and that children are raised better by opposite-sex couples.{{cite web | url=https://www.thoughtco.com/moral-and-religious-arguments-250095 | title=Common Arguments Against Gay Marriage | date=July 16, 2017 | author=Cline, Austin | access-date=November 20, 2021 | archive-date=July 9, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709201414/https://www.learnreligions.com/marriage-is-for-having-children-250076 | url-status=live }} Social conservatives are skeptical of the legalization of same-sex marriage, supporting instead laws such as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Some are more tolerant of civil unions than same-sex marriage, but many oppose homosexual relations of any form.{{cite journal|last=Dombrink|first=John|year=2012|title=After the Culture War? Shifts and Continuities in American Conservatism|journal=Canadian Review of American Studies|volume=42|issue=3|pages=301–21|doi=10.1353/crv.2012.0018|s2cid=143729347}} While social conservatives sometimes support basic LGBT rights, they are concerned with "normalizing" same-sex relationships through the institution of marriage. Some conservatives support same-sex marriage, such as Log Cabin Republicans.{{cite book|title=When Sex Goes to School|last=Luker|first=Kristin|publisher=Norton|year=2006|location=New York|pages=101, 112}}

Social conservatism opposes transgender rights, as it goes against traditional gender roles prescribing adherence to one's biological sex. It opposes allowing transgender people to use their preferred gender identity's pronouns, names, bathrooms, and locker rooms. It also opposes recognition of non-binary genders.{{cite news|author=Emanuella Grinberg|date=May 13, 2016|title=White House issues guidance on transgender bathrooms|work=CNNPolitics.com|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/12/politics/transgender-bathrooms-obama-administration/index.html?adkey=bn|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516031014/http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/12/politics/transgender-bathrooms-obama-administration/index.html?adkey=bn|archive-date=May 16, 2016|df=mdy-all}}

In modern times the relationship between Christianity and transgender people has been strained, as most churches require their members to adhere to what they believe to be their "God-given" gender.{{cite news|last=Winfield|first=Nicole|title=Vatican rejects gender change to alarm of LGBT Catholics|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2019/06/10/vatican-rejects-gender-change-alarm-lgbt-catholics/6mZJ4YXK3eIYyzb2qT3lgK/story.html|work=Boston Globe|date=10 June 2019|access-date=March 16, 2022|archive-date=July 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721124643/https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2019/06/10/vatican-rejects-gender-change-alarm-lgbt-catholics/6mZJ4YXK3eIYyzb2qT3lgK/story.html|url-status=live}} Many Christian denominations denounce transsexuality and prohibit transgender people from marrying.{{cite news|first=John|last=Norton|title=Vatican says 'sex-change' operation does not change person's gender|work=Catholic News Service|date=14 Jan 2003|url=http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/CatholicTSDecision.html|access-date=March 16, 2022|archive-date=June 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607113009/http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/CatholicTSDecision.html|url-status=live}}

Social conservatism supports school prayer, which has been banned in public schools ever since a series of 1960s Supreme Court decisions such as Engel v. Vitale. Social conservatives have continued to attack the Supreme Court, blaming these decisions for pushing Christianity out of America's mainstream culture.{{cite book|author= Clyde Wilcox|title= Onward Christian Soldiers?: The Religious Right in American Politics|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=GxdWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT96|year= 2018|publisher= Taylor & Francis|page= 96|isbn= 9780429974533}}{{cite book|author1= Glenn H. Utter|author2= James L. True|title= Conservative Christians and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4lGEFFIuNG4C&pg=PA51|year= 2004|publisher= ABC-CLIO|pages= 51–53|isbn= 9781851095131}}

Many social conservatives, mainly Christian fundamentalists, believe that creationism or intelligent design should be taught in public schools in place of evolution. More moderate conservatives support the teaching of creationism alongside evolution, specifically promoting theistic evolution, in which God is regarded as guiding evolution.{{cite book|last=Ciment|first=James|title=Postwar America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History|date=March 26, 2015|publisher=Routledge|language=en|isbn=9781317462354|page=513|quote=Throughout the twentieth century, many evangelicals accepted theistic evolution ... Some Christian right organizations supported the teaching of creationism, along with evolution, in public schools.}}

In public schools, social conservatives have supported classes on "The Bible in History and Literature" (cf. National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools).{{cite web |last1=Scharrer |first1=Gary |title=Schools in Texas get OK for elective Bible course |url=https://www.chron.com/life/houston-belief/article/Schools-in-Texas-get-OK-for-elective-Bible-course-1752858.php |publisher=Houston Chronicle |access-date=October 14, 2020 |language=en |date=July 19, 2008 |quote=Local school districts got a green light Friday to offer high school students an elective Bible course ... The argument focused on legislative intent. In the end, the board's coalition of social conservatives prevailed, 10-5.}}

File:Resurrection Lutheran School Rochester MN WELS.jpg of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) in Rochester.]]

Peter S. Wenz explains the support of school vouchers, writing: "Social conservatives favor vouchers because they allow religion to be taught in government-funded schools, and they think religion is the firmest foundation for the moral development that students need to become productive, law-abiding citizens."

Social conservatives thus strongly support funding for parochial schools, especially Christian schools.{{cite book |last1=Glenn |first1=Brian J. |last2=Teles |first2=Steven M. |title=Conservatism and American Political Development |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-970601-3 |language=en}}

File:Chick-fil-A.jpg, an American fast food chain, closes on Sundays in keeping with Sunday Sabbatarian principles–a practice widely praised by social conservatives.{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=Benjamin I. |last2=Seawright |first2=Jason |last3=Lacombe |first3=Matthew J. |title=Billionaires and Stealth Politics |date=December 21, 2018 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-58626-7 |page=78 |language=en |quote=The Chick-Fil-A boycott was counterbalanced by a movement of social conservatives supporting the restaurant chain.}}{{cite book |last1=Grem |first1=Darren E. |title=The Blessings of Business: How Corporations Shaped Conservative Christianity |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-992797-5 |page=122 |language=en |quote=By the 1980s, Chick-fil-A was so unique among fast-food restaurants that its Sunday closing policy was the equivalent of a totem for conservative evangelicals, a symbol that represented the proper posture that conservative people of faith could and should hold toward corporate culture or American society in general.}}]]

{{Further|Accommodationism|Blue law}}

Social conservatives are accommodationists who often oppose secularism, state atheism, and moral relativism, viewing them as threats to the nation's Christian character. They hold that the Establishment Clause solely prevents the establishment of a state Church nationally, not public acknowledgements of God nor "developing policies that encourage general religious beliefs that do not favor a particular sect and are consistent with the secular government's goals."{{cite book|title=Does God Make a Difference?|author=Warren A. Nord|publisher=Oxford University Press|quote=First Amendment Politics: At the risk of oversimplifying a very complicated situation, I suggest that conservative justices tend to favor a weak reading of both the Free Exercise and Establishment clause, while liberals tend to favor strong readings. That is, conservative justices have been less concerned about the dangers of establishment and less concerned to protect free exercise rights, particularly of religious minorities. Liberals, by contrast, have been opposed to any possibility of a religious establishment and they have been relatively more concerned to protect the free exercise rights of minorities.}}{{cite book|title=Recasting Conservatism: Oakeshott, Strauss, and the Response to Postmodernism|author=Robert Devigne|publisher=Yale University Press|quote=Conservatives claim that liberals misinterpret the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment. They point to the opinion written for the Supreme Court by Hugo Black in Everson v. Board of Education: "The 'establishment of religion' clause of the First Amendment means at least this: neither a state nor a Federal government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions or prefer one religion over another." The establishment clause, conservatives insist, precludes the national state from promoting any religious denomination but does not prohibit state governments and local communities from developing policies that encourage general religious beliefs that do not favor a particular sect and are consistent with the secular government's goals.}} Such Judeo-Christian heritage includes, for example, the national motto "In God We Trust", the courtroom oath "So help me God", the supplication which begins court sessions "God save the United States and this Honorable Court", "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, Congressional prayer, a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, among others.{{cite book|title=ABA Journal Sep 1962|date = September 1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gymQ6vWfA3QC&q=Zorach+v.+Clauson+++In+God+We+Trust&pg=PA817|quote=Much more recently, in 1952, speaking through Mr. Justice Douglas in Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306, 313, the Supreme Court repeated the same sentiments, saying: We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being. Mr. Justice Brewer in the Holy Trinity case, supra, mentioned many of these evidences of religion, and Mr. Justice Douglas in the Zorach case referred to ... [P]rayers in our legislative halls; the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive; the proclamation making Thanksgiving Day a holiday; "So help me God" in our courtroom oaths – these and ... other references to the Almighty ... run through our laws, our public rituals, our ceremonies ... the supplication with which the Court opens each session: "God save the United States and this Honorable Court" (312–313). To this list may be added tax exemption of churches, chaplaincies in the armed forces, the "Pray for Peace" postmark, the widespread observance of Christmas holidays, and, in classrooms, singing the fourth stanza of America which is prayer invoking the protection of God, and the words "in God is our trust" as found in the National Anthem, and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, modified by an Act of Congress of June 14, 1954, to include the words "under God".}}

Notwithstanding, socially conservatives Justices in the United States such as Clarence Thomas have argued that the Establishment Clause's purpose was to prevent federal interference with the established Churches of the states within the Union and that the Constitution does not prevent the establishment of state churches with respect to the states (cf. Federalism).{{cite book |last1=Drakeman |first1=Donald L. |title=Church, State, and Original Intent |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-11918-4 |page=232 |language=en |quote=The more common version of the enhanced federalism argument relates to the possibility voiced by Justice Clarence Thomas that there is something about the establishment clause that "resists incorporation." This argument has been advance in a variety of ways, but the basic point is that the First Amendment was specifically designed to protect the established churches in the states from federal interference. That Congress should make no law "respecting" an establishment of religion is thus read as forbidding laws on the subject matter of religious establishments in the states.}}

Social conservatives appeal to Christian nationalism, supporting the idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.{{cite book |last1=Quantz |first1=Richard A. |title=Sociocultural Studies in Education: Critical Thinking for Democracy |date=January 8, 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-26076-9 |page=137 |language=en |quote=Some important narratives appealed to by social conservatives that were not mentioned in Chapter 4 include the America is a Christian Nation narrative discussed earlier; the God Created man as Head of the Family and any other traditional family narrative, such as the Evils of Drugs and the Evils of Sex narratives; and any of the narrative found in the Bible, especially the Genesis, Jesus Son of God, and the Apocalypse narratives.}} As such, social conservatives in the United States support Sunday blue laws, which are consistent with Sunday Sabbatarian principles, thus favoring legislation that prohibits Sunday trading (cf. Lord's Day Alliance); social conservatives also back the presence of Judeo-Christian monuments and statues in the public square.{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=James |last2=Slater |first2=Wayne |title=The Architect: Karl Rove and the End of the Democratic Party |date=September 5, 2006 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-307-35264-4 |page=82 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Griffith |first1=Nancy Snell |last2=Raynal |first2=Charles E. |title=Presbyterians in South Carolina, 1925–1985: Mid-Century Change in Historic Denominations |date=September 12, 2016 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-4982-3772-7 |page=66 |language=en}} In the same vein, social conservatives support regular church attendance and participation in Sunday School.{{cite book |last1=Boyer |first1=Paul |title=Urban Masses and Moral Order in America, 1820-1920 |date=1992 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-93110-7 |page=38 |language=en}}

Social conservatives in the United States have maintained an opposition to drug usage on moral grounds.{{cite book |last1=Wenz |first1=Peter S. |title=Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates |date=February 10, 2012 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-26127-2 |pages=7, 91 |language=en |quote=Social conservatives find happiness on drugs morally despicable.}} They have historically supported the temperance movement and the war on drugs.{{cite book |last1=Rozell |first1=Mark J. |last2=Wilcox |first2=Clyde |title=God at the Grassroots 2016: The Christian Right in American Politics |date=November 2, 2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-5381-0893-2 |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Hardy |title=How Alabama regulates alcohol: a history |url=https://www.therandolphleader.com/news/article_46d7b4da-7796-55c0-ab68-51b9b88a6a05.html |publisher=The Randolph Leader |language=en |date=October 29, 2008 |quote=The bone-dry churches and social conservatives railed against repeal. One Methodist Bishop declared that only "the rakes, the roves, the prostitutes, (and) the brothel keepers" were for it.}}

Social conservatives are opposed to gambling, viewing it as immoral.{{cite book |last1=Chambers |first1=Kerry |title=Gambling for Profit: Lotteries, Gaming Machines, and Casinos in Cross-national Focus |date=January 1, 2011 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4426-4189-1 |page=14 |language=en |quote=Historically, Protestant evangelicals, traditionalists, and social conservatives have condemned gambling as immoral and attempted to exert social-norm pressures on others.}}{{cite book |last1=Mayer |first1=Russell K. |title=Taking Action on Internet Gambling: Federal Policymaking 1995–2011 |date=March 6, 2014 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-8066-2 |page=56 |language=en |quote=...of conservative ideology, whereby social conservatives oppose the morally questionable activity of Internet gambling, combined with liberal ideological beliefs about freedom from government interference in the personal realm.}} As such, social conservatives have rallied to prevent casinos from opening in areas where they are numerically in strength, citing that gambling is opposed to family values.{{cite web |last1=Schulte |first1=Grant |title=Big-name conservatives rally against Nebraska casino measure |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-pete-ricketts-columbus-omaha-sioux-city-b5d8430e7c8d6081fc2a37ed803af433 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=October 14, 2020 |language=en |date=October 5, 2020}} The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, one of the oldest organizations espousing social conservatism, advanced the argument that "communities with casinos suffer higher rates of home foreclosures, financial distress, and domestic violence", thus calling for people to oppose gambling.{{cite web |last1=Einwechter |first1=Florence |title=The Casino Industry - "What Harm Does It Do?" |url=http://www.wwctu.org/resources_pdf/project_kits/2015_hpkit.pdf |publisher=Woman's Christian Temperance Union |access-date=October 14, 2020 |language=en |date=2015 |archive-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015113514/http://www.wwctu.org/resources_pdf/project_kits/2015_hpkit.pdf |url-status=live }}

File:Rehoboth WCTU Fountain (Sussex County, Delaware).jpg erected by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1929 in Sussex County, Delaware.]]

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the 19th and 20th centuries became a strong force for social conservatism, advancing the temperance movement in the United States.{{cite book |last1=Tyrrell |first1=Ian |title=Woman's World/Woman's Empire: The Woman's Christian Temperance Union in International Perspective, 1880-1930 |date=March 19, 2014 |publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=978-1-4696-2080-0 |page=178 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Valverde |first1=Mariana |title=The Age of Light, Soap, and Water: Moral Reform in English Canada, 1885-1925 |date=January 1, 2008 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-9595-4 |page=58 |language=en}}

The 1897 Constitution of the National Reform Association, one of the oldest organizations espousing social conservatism in the United States, with a focus on introducing a Christian amendment to the U.S. Constitution, expressed alarm at what they viewed as:{{cite book |last1=Wylie |first1=Richard Cameron |title=Our System of Public Education: Is it Christian Or Secular? |date=1901 |publisher=The Christian Statesman |language=en}}

{{blockquote|Perceiving the subtle and persevering attempts which are made to prohibit the reading of the Bible in our Public Schools, to overthrow our Sabbath laws, to corrupt the Family, to abolish the Oath, Prayer in our National and State Legislatures, Days of Fasting and Thanksgiving, and other Christian features of our institutions, and so to divorce the American Government from all connection with the Christian religion; Viewing with grave apprehension in our politics, the legal sanction of the liquor traffic, and the disregard of moral and religious character in those who are exalted to high places in the nation.}}

The 1960s saw a surge in grassroots social conservative activism in response to the successes of liberal politics in changing American culture. Democrats continued to put forward increasingly liberal policy ideas that ran counter to the beliefs of many conservative Americans which mobilized them to protect their interests. Some social conservatives supported candidates such as Barry Goldwater in the 1964 Republican Party presidential primaries. There was a rise of social conservatism that advocated a strong moral code and increased religious authority.{{cite book|title=Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right|last=McGirr|first=Lisa|publisher=Princeton|year=2001|location=Princeton, New Jersey|quote=150}}

Historians have pointed to the 1970s as a turning point where "a vast shift toward social and political conservatism" really began. Meg Jacobs and Julian E. Zelizer argue that this period saw an increase an activism and concern with personal and social issues which lead to a growth of social conservatism.{{cite journal|last1=Jacobs|first1=Meg|last2=Zelizer|first2=Julian E.|year=2008|title=Swinging Too Far to the Left|url=https://wws.princeton.edu/system/files/research/documents/Journal%20of%20Contemporary%20History-2008-Jacobs-689-93.pdf|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|volume=43|issue=4|pages=683–93|via=Sage|doi=10.1177/0022009408095423|s2cid=155052711|access-date=July 20, 2019|archive-date=March 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307215210/https://wws.princeton.edu/system/files/research/documents/Journal%20of%20Contemporary%20History-2008-Jacobs-689-93.pdf|url-status=live}} There are multiple theories on the growth of social conservatism in this period. Some of the possible reasons or combination of reasons for this phenomenon are the backlash to the Vietnam War, the expanded conversation on civil rights, the economic changes in the United States and the overall changes in culture in this period.{{cite book|title=Rightward Bound: Making America Conservative in the 1970s|last1=Schulman|first1=Bruce|last2=Zelizer|first2=Julian|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2008|isbn=9780674027572|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3A9irCCJR48C&q=%22Rightward+Bound%3A+Making+America+Conservative+in+the+1970s%22&pg=PR9}} Some commentators refer to social conservatism and renewed conservative grassroots activism as a reaction to the counterculture and cultural upheaval of the 1960s–1970s.{{cite journal|last=Robin|first=Corey|year=2010|title=Conservatism and counterrevolution|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/a3cea7d53695a278c89ebc0fe2d908d0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=30927|journal=Raritan|volume=30 |issue=1|pages=1–17|via=ProQuest}} A notable event regarding social policy in the 1970s was the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973 which recognized a legal right to abortion.{{cite journal|last1=Di Mauro|first1=Diane|last2=Joffe|first2=Carole|year=2007|title=The Religious Right and the Reshaping of Sexual Policy: An Examination of Reproductive Rights and Sexuality Education|journal=Sexuality Research and Social Policy|volume=4 |issue=1|pages=67–92|doi=10.1525/srsp.2007.4.1.67|s2cid=19893992}}

Starting in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan, a prominent conservative Republican, exemplifies the rise of social conservatives in mainstream politics. Reagan appealed to social conservatives who felt marginalized by the growing liberalization of American culture, calling on the "forgotten man" or "moral majority".McGirr, p. 216McGirr, p. 214 After the tumultuous period of political and cultural changes in the 1960s–1970s, Reagan's moderate traditionalism appeared as a source of needed stability for many Americans.{{cite book|title=Politics and Society in Modern America: Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s|last=Troy|first=Gil|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2013|isbn=9781400849307|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VTkDAQAAQBAJ&q=%22%22Politics+and+Society+in+Modern+America%3A+Morning+in+America%3A+How+Ronald+Reagan+Invented+the}}

Several evangelical Christian organizations with socially conservative goals were founded in the late 1970s, including Christian Voice and Moral Majority,{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=January 7, 2009 |title=Falwell Rallied Moral Majority, Riled Critics |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3176796 |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=ABC News |language=en}} which backed Republican politicians although they had limited impact on legislation.{{Cite book |last1=Djupe |first1=Paul A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=frt7RDOT1PUC&dq=christian%20voice%201978&pg=PA99 |title=Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics |last2=Olson |first2=Laura R. |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4381-3020-0 |pages=99 |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Haberman |first=Clyde |date=October 28, 2018 |title=Religion and Right-Wing Politics: How Evangelicals Reshaped Elections |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/us/religion-politics-evangelicals.html |access-date=2024-09-13 |work=The New York Times}} They were followed by Family Research Council and Christian Coalition, among others.

Major conservative welfare reform took place in the 1990s. In 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) was passed narrowing the benefits of welfare recipients and encouraging work. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) also came into effect during this period, limiting the time benefits can be received.{{cite journal|last=Weicher|first=John|year=2001|title=Reforming welfare: The next policy debates|journal=Society|volume=38 |issue=2|pages=16–20|doi=10.1007/s12115-001-1035-4|s2cid=144478190}}

Social conservatives again became powerful in American politics in 2001 with the election of socially conservative President George W. Bush. It has been argued that many of Bush's policy decisions were strongly influenced by his religious beliefs.{{cite book|title=The Bush Administration, Sex and the Moral Agenda|last=Ashbee|first=Edward|publisher=Manchester University Press, Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=9781847796424|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fy_YCgAAQBAJ&q=social+conservatism}} During his time in office, Bush would pass influential conservative social policies such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and support an increase in funding of abstinence-only sex education.Ashbee, p. 112. While President Bush did not strongly promote anti-abortion policies, he supported the movement through an emphasis on parental rights and focus on strict regulation of taxpayer funding.Ashbee, p. 212

Socially conservative organizations contributed to the 2020s anti-LGBT movement in the United States and related parental rights movement. Project 2025, published by the Heritage Foundation, includes socially conservative policy proposals.{{Cite news |last=Ali |first=Shirin |date=2024-07-25 |title=Democrats Are Sounding the Alarm About Project 2025. What's in It? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/07/project-2025-summary-history-goals-donald-trump.html |access-date=2024-09-14 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}

In American politics, the Republican Party is the largest political party with some socially conservative ideals incorporated into its platform. Social conservatives predominantly support the Republican Party, although there are also socially conservative Democrats who break ranks with the party platform. Despite this, there have been instances where the Republican Party's nominee has been considered too socially liberal by social conservatives. This has led to the support of third-party candidates from parties such as the Constitution Party, whose philosophies sometimes parallel that of social conservatism.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/29/sarah-palin-republican-bi_n_337782.html/ |title=huffingtonpost news story on NY23 |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= October 29, 2009|access-date=March 30, 2011}} While many social conservatives see third parties as a viable option in such a situation, some high-profile social conservatives see the excessive support of them as dangerous. This fear arises from the possibility of vote splitting.{{cite web|last=Drake |first=Bruce |url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/03/09/romney-to-tea-party-dont-split-conservative-vote/ |title=Romney tells Tea Party not to split vote |publisher=Politicsdaily.com |access-date=March 30, 2011}} Like any other interest group, social conservatives usually must find a balance between pragmatic electability and ideological principles when supporting candidates.[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-third-party-alternative-to-mccain/ "Third Party Alternative to McCain"]. CBS News. February 14, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2020.

The American Tea Party movement is generally regarded as fiscally conservatives who tend to avoid social conservative issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34291_Page2.html |title=Tea parties stir evangelicals' fears |author= Ben Smith |publisher=Politico.Com |access-date=March 30, 2011}} The Tea Party Patriots is officially neutral on social conservatism.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/us/politics/13tea.html | work=The New York Times | first=Kate | last=Zernike | title=Tea Party Avoids Divisive Social Issues | date=March 12, 2010}} While social conservatism tends to emphasize community, faith and family as core values, the Tea Party Patriots identifies its core values as "Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, Free Markets".{{cite web |url=http://www.teapartypatriots.org/mission.aspx |title=Mission Statement and Core Values |publisher=Tea Party Patriots |access-date=March 30, 2011 |archive-date=March 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110328172015/http://www.teapartypatriots.org/mission.aspx |url-status=live }} Some branches are opposed to social conservatism.{{cite web |url=http://www.goproud.org/tea-party-leaders-release-letter-urging-house-and-senate-gop-to-avoid-social-issues/ |title=» Tea Party Leaders Release Letter Urging House and Senate GOP to Avoid Social Issues |publisher=Goproud.org |date=November 23, 2010 |access-date=March 30, 2011 |archive-date=August 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803200352/http://www.goproud.org/tea-party-leaders-release-letter-urging-house-and-senate-gop-to-avoid-social-issues/ |url-status=live }} However, independent polls have repeatedly shown that Tea Party supporters are nearly indistinguishable in their views from traditional Republican social conservatives, despite their choice to emphasize economic issues.{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx |title=Tea Party and Religion |publisher=Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |website=Pewforum.org |date=February 23, 2011 |access-date=March 30, 2011 |archive-date=June 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617194231/http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx |url-status=live }}{{cite news|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/02/tea-party-poll-more-than_n_597968.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=164043 |title= More Than Half Of Tea Party Supporters Say Gays And Lesbians Have Too Much Political Power (POLL) | date= June 2, 2010 | work=The Huffington Post|access-date=July 1, 2010 |first=Elyse |last=Siegel}}[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2012005031_new_poll_looks_at_tea_party_vi.html New poll looks at tea party views toward minorities] The Seattle Times; June 1, 2010[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/10/AR2010081003383.html {{"'}}Tea party' groups plan Arizona rally against illegal immigration"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208101707/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/10/AR2010081003383.html |date=February 8, 2017 }}, The Washington Post, August 11, 2010 While not allying itself officially with the Christian conservative movement,{{cite web|url=http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=386|title=Survey – Religion and the Tea Party in the 2010 Elections|work=Public Religion Research Institute|access-date=January 31, 2016}} members of the Tea Party movement statistically identify with Christianity and social conservatism more often than the general American populace (44%{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aLBZwxqgYgwI&pos=8|title=Tea Party Advocates Who Scorn Socialism Want a Government Job|last=Przybyla|first=Heidi|date=March 26, 2010|publisher=Bloomberg News|access-date=March 28, 2010|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040158/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aLBZwxqgYgwI&pos=8|url-status=live}} compared to 34%Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009) [http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf "American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407053149/http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf |date=April 7, 2009 }} Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, US; Retrieved April 1, 2009 (PDF) of the population). Some social conservative leaders have criticized the Tea Party movement for "libertarian" and "irreligious" views.{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34291.html |title=Tea parties stir evangelicals' fears |author=Ben Smith |publisher=Politico.Com |access-date=March 30, 2011 |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511203458/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34291.html |url-status=live }} Nearly 80% of those in the Tea Party movement are members of the Republican Party.{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/141098/Tea-Party-Supporters-Overlap-Republican-Base.aspx |title=Tea Party Supporters Overlap Republican Base |date=July 2, 2010 |publisher=Gallup.com |access-date=March 30, 2011 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701023907/http://www.gallup.com/poll/141098/tea-party-supporters-overlap-republican-base.aspx |url-status=live }}

• Michele Bachmann{{Cite web|title='Transgender Black Marxists' seek to overthrow U.S., Trump backer Michele Bachmann says|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-black-marxists-seek-overthrow-u-s-trump-backer-michele-n1239683|website=NBC News|date=September 9, 2020 |access-date=February 16, 2022|archive-date=February 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216224801/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-black-marxists-seek-overthrow-u-s-trump-backer-michele-n1239683|url-status=live}}
• Pat Buchanan{{cite web|url=http://www.buchanan.org/pa-92-0817-rnc.html|title=Republican National Convention Speech|last=Buchanan|first=Patrick 'Pat' Joseph|date=August 17, 1992|publisher=Patrick 'Pat' Joseph Buchanan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012133633/http://www.buchanan.org/pa-92-0817-rnc.html|archive-date=October 12, 2006}}
• Ted Cruz{{Cite news |last1=Payne |first1=Sebastian |last2=Costa |first2=Robert |date=2023-04-16 |title=Ted Cruz finds a core of support among social conservatives frustrated with GOP |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/social-conservatives-supply-core-of-ted-cruzs-support/2014/09/29/f02661d0-4743-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html |access-date=2023-10-26 |issn=0190-8286}}
• James Dobson{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE1DE153BF933A05752C0A9639C8B63 |title=Buzzwords; Hello, Synergy, Begone, Crisis |date=2005-01-30 |last=Zernike |first=Kate |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109205644/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE1DE153BF933A05752C0A9639C8B63 |archive-date=2012-11-09 |url-status=live}}
• Jerry Falwell Jr.
• Newt Gingrich{{cite news | last = Henderson | first = Kay | title = Gingrich defends campaign strategy; criticizes gay marriage | work = Reuters | date = June 25, 2011 | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gingrich-iowa-idUSTRE75O25720110625 | access-date = February 16, 2022 | archive-date = February 16, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220216224801/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gingrich-iowa-idUSTRE75O25720110625 | url-status = live }}
• Mike Huckabee{{cite book |last1=Denton |first1=Robert E. |title=Studies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign |date=June 14, 2010 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-4104-5 |page=130 |language=en |quote=...and much of his support base then switched to the other social conservative, Mike Huckabee.}}
• Mike Johnson{{Cite web |last=Mchugh |first=Calder |date=2023-10-25 |title=Mike Johnson is a social conservative's social conservative |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2023/10/25/mike-johnson-is-a-social-conservatives-social-conservative-00123619 |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}
• Rush Limbaugh{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6990965/The-most-influential-US-conservatives-20-1.html|title=The most influential US conservatives: 20-1|last=Harnden|first=Toby|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=2010|access-date=August 14, 2018|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=March 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322091500/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6990965/The-most-influential-US-conservatives-20-1.html|url-status=live}}
• Sarah Palin{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-xpm-2011-feb-17-la-na-palin-speeches-20110218-story.html|title=Sarah Palin making rounds among socially conservative groups|date=February 17, 2011|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 27, 2019|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227030806/https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-xpm-2011-feb-17-la-na-palin-speeches-20110218-story.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/05/a-conservatives-case-for-sarah-palins-genius/56790/|title=A Conservative's Case for Sarah Palin's Genius|first=Tony|last=Lee|date=May 16, 2010|website=The Atlantic}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cato.org/blog/who-wants-make-sarah-palin-leader-republican-party|title=Who Wants to Make Sarah Palin the Leader of the Republican Party?|date=December 9, 2009|website=Cato Institute}}{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94203268|title=Brownback: Social Conservatives 'Pumped' By Palin|website=NPR.org}}
• Mike Pence{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/mike-pence-president-democrats-conservatives|title=President Mike Pence? Dems should be 'careful what they wish for', experts say|last=Smith|first=David|date=May 21, 2017|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=August 14, 2018|archive-date=August 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827165707/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/mike-pence-president-democrats-conservatives|url-status=live}}
• Pat Robertson{{Cite web |date=2023-06-08 |title=Pat Robertson, conservative evangelist and Christian Coalition founder, dies at 93 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pat-robertson-conservative-evangelist-christian-coalition-founder-dies-rcna61662 |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=NBC News |language=en}}
• Rick Santorum{{cite book |last1=Perry |first1=L. |title=Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and the 2012 Election |date=August 7, 2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-36082-3 |language=en |quote=Santorum, like Bachman, had a consistent record on social conservative issues, which was viewed as an asset.}}
• Rick Scarborough[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1030543 "Religion and Politics in America"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122030546/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1030543 |date=November 22, 2020 }} Morning Edition, NPR October 22, 1996 John Burnett URL accessed 05/09/2006
• Phyllis Schlafly{{cite book |last1=Critchlow |first1=Donald T. |title=Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade |date=June 5, 2018 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18797-6 |page=33 |language=en}}

• Republican Party
• American Solidarity Party{{citation |title=Why You Should Vote Third Party |last=Padusniak |first=Chase |date=Winter 2015 |journal=Intercollegiate Review |publisher=Intercollegiate Studies Institute |url=http://home.isi.org/why-you-should-vote-third-party |language=en |access-date=July 21, 2016 |quote=For the socially-conservative American who thinks government intervention has some place in the economy, the American Solidarity Party might fit. |archive-date=August 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821013323/https://home.isi.org/why-you-should-vote-third-party |url-status=live }}
• Christian Liberty PartyMcKeen, Leah A D, "Canadian Christian Nationalism?: The Religiosity and Politics of the Christian Heritage

Party of Canada" (2015). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1740.

• Constitution Party
• Prohibition Party{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Mark P. |title=Voting and Political Representation in America: Issues and Trends [2 volumes] |date=February 24, 2020 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-6085-0 |page=497 |language=en}}

• Alliance Defending Freedom{{cite book|last1=Micklethwait|first1=John|last2=Wooldridge|first2=Adrian|title=God Is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith Is Changing the World|date=April 2, 2009|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|language=en|isbn=9781101032411|page=95|quote=He also, to litigate on behalf of socially conservative issues, helped in 1994 to foundthe Alliance Defense Fund, which has notched up more than twenty-five victories before the U.S. Supreme Court and hundreds more before the lower court.}}
• American Center for Law and Justice
• American Family Association{{cite book |last1=Marcus |first1=Ruth |title=Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover |date=December 3, 2019 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-9821-2386-4 |page=81 |language=en|quote=The leaders of three socially conservative groups—the American Family Association, the American Principles Project, and Liberty Counsel--joined with Jauregui to send a letter to the president pushing for Barrett.}}
• American Principles Project
• Becket Fund for Religious Liberty{{cite book|last=Engdahl|first=Sylvia|title=Religious Liberty|year=2007|publisher=Greenhaven Press|language=en |isbn=9780737738551|quote=... supposed the federal law, as did the socially conservative Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.}}
• Christian Coalition of America{{cite book |last1=Vaughan |first1=Joel D. |title=The Rise and Fall of the Christian Coalition: The Inside Story |date=June 15, 2009 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-62189-212-0 |page=200 |language=en |quote=Catholic University's Mark Rozell told The Virginian-Pilot in late 2001 when Pat Robertson resigned as the Coalition's chairman: "Christian Coalition, without a doubt, has been the most successful social conservative organization in this country."}}
• Concerned Women for America{{cite book |last1=Deckman |first1=Melissa |title=Tea Party Women: Mama Grizzlies, Grassroots Leaders, and the Changing Face of the American Right |date=May 24, 2016 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-1-4798-6642-7 |page=26 |language=en}}
• Family Research Council{{cite book|last1=Rimmerman|first1=Craig A.|last2=Wilcox|first2=Clyde|title=The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage|date=October 1, 2007|publisher=University of Chicago Press|language=en|isbn=9780226720005|page=[https://archive.org/details/politicsofsamese0000unse/page/245 245]|quote=In 2003 Ken Connor, president of the Family Research Council, questioned the Republican commitment to fighting for the socially conservative policies that defined the group.|url=https://archive.org/details/politicsofsamese0000unse/page/245}}
• First Liberty Institute{{cite web|url=http://religionandpolitics.org/2015/06/10/the-rise-of-christian-conservative-legal-organizations/|title=The Rise of Christian Conservative Legal Organizations|last=Bennett|first=Daniel|date=June 10, 2015|publisher=Religion & Politics|language=en|access-date=April 27, 2017|archive-date=May 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506051942/http://religionandpolitics.org/2015/06/10/the-rise-of-christian-conservative-legal-organizations/|url-status=live}}
• Foundation for Moral Law{{cite book |last1=Hunter |first1=James Davison |title=To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-974539-5 |page=122 |language=en}}
• Knights of Columbus
• Liberty Counsel
• Lord's Day Alliance
• Medical Institute for Sexual Health{{cite book |last1=Gottlieb |first1=Samantha D. |title=Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine: Selling HPV and Cervical Cancer |date=January 2, 2018 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-8780-6 |page=71 |language=en}}
• Moral Majority{{cite book |last1=Dumenil |first1=Lynn |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History: Men's-YMCA |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-974336-0 |page=45 |language=en |quote=He launched the Moral Majority, a voter mobilization and lobbying organization, in June 1979, and he also formed the Moral Majority political action committee to raise money for socially conservative congressional candidates.}}
• National Center on Sexual Exploitation
• National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools{{cite book |last1=Gearon |first1=Liam |last2=Prud'homme |first2=Joseph |title=State Religious Education and the State of Religious Life |date=April 4, 2018 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-62564-726-9 |page=2 |language=en}}
• National Reform Association{{cite book |last1=Farmer |first1=Brian |title=American Conservatism: History, Theory and Practice |date=December 18, 2008 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-0276-5 |page=174 |language=en}}
• Pacific Justice Institute{{cite book |last1=Josephson |first1=Burack |title=Fundamental Differences: Feminists Talk Back to Social Conservatives |date=September 1, 2004 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-0-585-46378-0 |page=178 |language=en |quote=PJI, along with several other California-based social conservative organizations, initiated what they termed a "Parental Opt Out Program," so that parents who wished to could "ensure that their children are not exposed to such controversial and potentially harmful social instruction."}}
• Wallbuilders
• Woman's Christian Temperance Union{{cite web |last1=Walmer |first1=Daniel |title=Lebanon women's group still fighting against alcohol |url=https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/2017/07/13/lebanon-womens-group-still-fighting-against-alcohol/465570001/ |publisher=Lebanon Daily News |access-date=October 14, 2020 |language=en |date=July 13, 2017 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515144339/https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/2017/07/13/lebanon-womens-group-still-fighting-against-alcohol/465570001/ |url-status=live }}

• Christian right
• Christian democracy
• Factions in the Republican Party
• Fiscal conservatism
• Moralism
• Paleoconservatism
• Traditionalist conservatism

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Category:Right-wing politics in the United States