Christian right
People have used religion in politics for thousands of years, and people in the United States have used religion for conservative politics in the United States for hundreds of years. For example, those who wanted a conviction in the Scopes trial, largely Democrats, would later be called the religious right. However, the term first came into use in the 1970s. Jerry Falwell was one of the first to use it. He and others felt that the country and institutions (such as schools and colleges) were run by left-wing intellectuals who did not believe in God. They thought that most people believed in God and did not care for left-wing intellectuals. The fight between left-wing intellectuals and the religious right is often called the "culture wars".