Why does the united states have a long history of opposition to socialist ideas?

Because socialism it is considered to run counter to the basic ideas that the United States is built upon.

Explanation:

The ideas of freedom and liberty have a long history in the United States. The Founding Fathers were staunch defenders of the freedom of every individual to choose their own life, and the liberty of being free from oppression. These became the basic ideals which the United States was built upon. The economic system of capitalism, based on private property, free from state interference, was seen as the embodiment of the ideals of the United States. Socialism, on the other hand, advocates for the end of capitalism and its replacement by a different economic system based on collective ownership of the means of production and a centrally-planned economy. A state-planned economy and the end of private property as advocated by socialism is seen by many as running counter to the basic ideas of individual freedom and liberty that they think define the United States.