Charleston County Public Library

Righteous warrior, Jesse Helms and the rise of modern conservatism, William A. Link

eng

Includes bibliographical references (p. [483]-622) and index

individual biography

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

Righteous warrior

bibliography

156832345

William A. Link

Jesse Helms and the rise of modern conservatism

A portrait of a commanding American politician and of the conservative movement he forged. Early on, Helms realized the power of television, and across North Carolina in the 1960s, he battled the civil rights movement, campus radicalism, and the sexual revolution. Desegregation was a central issue in solidifying his base and mobilizing political support, but also important was his discomfort with what he believed was a rising tide of immorality. In 1973, he was elected to the Senate, where he remained until 2003. As Senator, Helms became a national conservative leader and spokesman for the revitalized American Right, playing a prominent role in the Reagan Revolution of the 1970s and 1980s and the rising tide of Republicanism of the 1990s. Historian William Link tells the story of one of the most powerful Americans of the twentieth century and the conservative mark he left on the American political landscape.--From publisher description

The two faces of Jesse Helms -- A boll weevil in the cotton patch: early years -- Traveling the long, dreary road: tv conservative -- Black is white, and wrong is right: backlash politics -- Standing against the prevailing wind: leading the new right -- Conservatism has come of age: organizing the movement -- Archangel of the right: the Reagan revolution -- A pure gospel of conservatism: protecting the revolution -- A lionhearted leader of a great and growing army: the election of 1984 -- I am beyond your reach: new directions -- Jesse's spiderweb: the politics of sexuality -- The conservative lion in his winter: transitions -- A big rock in a river: resisting Clinton -- Time take a terrific toll: elder statesman