Chapter 30

1960s Mood: Personal Preoccupations and New Activists energies Vietnam shatters liberals

New left fragments Watergate shatters republicans Hippies replaced with yuppies

TV Viewing increases

Prime-time soaps: Dallas TV Sitcoms: Brady Bunch

Disneyworld 1982 Movies

“Jaws” “Star Wars”

MLB, NFL, NBA Music

Saturday Night Fever Consumer electronics

VCRs CDs Computers

Protest mood survives Bruce Springsteen (working

class) Bob Dylan (celebrated outlaws)

Environmental movement Built of Rachel Carson 1960s Greenpeace Targets Nuc-industry

Women’s Rights Lasting effects of 1960s

NOW= 50,000 Gloria Steinem, Ms. magazine

National Women’s Political Caucus 1971 Promoted feminist agenda

Roe v. Wade Splintered movement

Radical v. conservative Struggle to define movement

Changes Increase of working women

Still in mainly “female” jobs Social effects

Delaying marriage for education

Changing Patterns 1969- Police raid Stonewall Inn,

NYC – sparks movement Loosening Taboos

Increased co-habitation “Coming out” increase 1970s homosexuality no longer a

mental illness Federal ban dropped on employment

STDs AIDS 1981 New “safe sex” attitude

Conservative Backlash Roe v. Wade

“right to life” groups Homosexuals

Jerry Farwell, Anita Bryant Milk assassination 1978 Donna Sumner 1980

Religious Questioning “Born-Again” Christians

Right to life- Catholic movement Rise of Evangelicals

Jerry Fewell, Anita Bryant, Pat Robertson

Decline of the Family Farm Historic “backbone” Growth of agribusiness Cultural importance

Willie Nelson’s “Farm Aid” 1985 Two worlds of Black America

1st world Significant upward mobility

Thanks to civil rights movement “Cosby Show”, College

2nd world ½ never finished high school Jobless rate 60%, unskilled Cocaine, drugs, violence

LA Bloods v. Crips 400 killings 1987

Drug Abuse Act 1970 Affected society on ALL levels

but biggest impact on inner cities

Women Unmarried 60% of black births Welfare cycle of

dependence Affirmative Action

Buildings, education Bakke V. U.S. 1978 Overthrew Affirmative

Action in California with Medical School

Affected by conservative backlash

Native Americans Shaped by 1960s Brighter prospects

AIM occupied Alcatraz Island, Trading Post at Wounded Knee

Indian Self-determination Act of 1974 Fed programs for reservations Gave natives control over

internal programs, education, and law enforcement

Business Ventures successful Culture

“Little Big Horn” 1970 “Dances with Wolves” 1990

Improvement on stereotypes of the 1950s

Immigration Western Hemisphere

45% Asia 30%

Thanks to Eisenhower suspending National Origin Act of 1924

Immigration Act of 1965 ended ethnic quotas

Gerald Ford 1974-1976 August 9, 1974

Former congressman, VP Conveyed likeable decency “the caretaker” President

Problems Pardoned Nixon

Lost public’s good will Lots of conservative vetoes

on environment, social welfare Overrode by a democratic

congress Had CIA investigated for

engineering foreign assassinations Headed by George H.W. Bush

Economic 1973 oil – OPEC

Oil embargo Soaring costs “Whip Inflation Now” Fed raised interest rates Curbing energy use

National Morale S. Vietnam fell April 1975

Evacuations of US embassy Marked low point of American

prestige overseas Cambodia 1975

US- supported government fell to Khmer Rouge Genocide killed over 1 million Ford ordered attack Saved 39, 41 U.S. servicemen

died

Election of 1976 Carter vs. Reagan

Actor, ex. Governor of Cali

1977-1980 The “outsider”

Peanut farmer from GA Won because of lack of connection to D.C.

Democratic Nominee Both liberal and conservative Best at focusing on specific

problems No clear political philosophy Domestic Policy

Congress ignored Carter’s attempts at Civil Service reform, national health care or welfare reform

Stopped recession with tax cut Unemployment drops to 5%

Sensed nation’s lack of sympathy for government programs

Environment Alaska Lands Act

Major victory for environmental movement

100 million acres for parks, etc. Niagara Falls 1978

Love Canal Disaster

Foreign Attention to human rights Latin America

Treaty to transfer Panama canal back to Panama in 2000

Camp David Accords 1978 Peace settlement b/w Egypt and

Israel Cold War

Continued Détente SALT Treaty II

Delayed, Soviets invade Afghanistan

Troubles and Frustrations 2nd oil crisis 1979

OPEC boosted prices $1 a gallon Inflation prices increased FED raised interest rates

“stagflation” Drew attention to

Conservation Created Dept. of Energy 1977

Called for higher oil and gas taxes, tax credit for conservation, research

Watered down version passed 1978

Approval Ratings Down to 26% summer of 1979 Isolated himself

Blamed Americans on TV!!!!! Legacy

Identified key issues Lacked political skills to

accomplish anything Known more today for

international conflict and humanitarian work

Won Nobel Peace Prize in 2002

1979 Iranian Revolution American-backed

government overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini

U.S. admits former Shah of Iran into U.S. for cancer treatment

Protests/riots in Iran U.S. Embassy seized

50 hostages Lasted 444 days

Botched rescue attempt Sec. of State resigns Failure for Carter

Rise of Conservatism Started with Goldwater in 1964 Loose coalition of political

conservatives, religious fundamentals and political action committees (PAC)

Background Appeal

Movie/ T.V. star , handsome Master of Media

Are you better off now than 4 years ago” Used “misery index”

Solution to “Stagflation” a tax cut Tributes to private enterprise Called for military strength, patriotism Embraced “New Right”

Clear cut traditional and moral values “moral majority”

Election Issue

Taxpayer’s revolt, moral revival, reverse discrimination

Reagan 51%, Carter 41% Reagan won 91% of electoral votes

Pop increase in Conservative states Republicans gained control of senate Only black voters democratic

Day of Inauguration Iranian hostages released Assassination attempt made him

more popular

Reaganomics Economic program

Belief in US capitalism No heavy taxes and government

regulation Believed tax cuts would fuel

spending 1st budget cut proposed 50%

1981 5% 1982, 1983 20% Government programs cut

Food stamps, student loans, mass transportation

Compared to FDR’s 1st 100 days Not b/c of programs but how

quickly government shifted gears Drastic cutbacks in business

regulation Restrictions eased

To help auto industry regulations on emissions and auto safety reduced

Banking, transportation, and communication

Fed increased interest rates Added with drop in oil prices = a

decrease in inflation

Recession High interest rates 1982 unemployment 10%

Worst since 1930s As “reaganomics” took hold,

economy improved Inner-cities suffered Falling exports, dollar rose US trade deficit tripled

Because of tax cuts and less returns Individual heartland hurt

Slumping exports Foreign competition

Problems 1982 Democrats gain 57 seats

Boom Times Stock-market upturn

Like 1920s, wall street “celebrities” Corruption, market crash 1987

Great Bull Market 1983 rebound

Downside Economic gap persisted, widened

Confronting the “Evil Empire” Military build-up

Defense budget 1981- $171 billion 1985- $300 billion

Tensions Korean plane shot down by

Russians Sept. 1983 Killed 269 people

Anti-communist administrations El Salvador

Backed Salvadoran military junta against Castro Sent $5 million to government

Nicaragua Carter gave money to Sandinista

revolution 1979 Reagan reversed policy 1982 financed Contras

Opposed by Congress Obsession with Latin America

Grenada 1983 coup installed left

government 2,000 marines sent in 1983 Set up pro-US government

Success

Goals Slow the spread of Islamic

fundamentalism US support of Saddam Hussein

against Iran Iraq/ Iran War

U.S. supported Iraq Israel

Deep US bond, emotional Unable to achieve peace

because of conflicting pressures Israel invaded Lebanon to stop PLO

in 1982 Lebanon

PLO Problems

Extremists shots Israeli Ambassador

Israel invades Lebanon Reagan sends peacekeepers 1982

Suicide bombing of barracks 1983 Killed 239 Marines

Withdraws troops 1984 Reagan ineffective in Middle East

Reagan’s Critics Runaway military spending

“Star Wars” project Strategic Defense Initiative

Cold war belligerence Massive budget deficits

Cuts in social programs Assault of government

regulatory spending Supporters

Attacked big government Tough on USSR Solid achievements

Booming economy Ended inflation

Personal popularity Nominated Sandra Day

O’Connor 1981 Fulfilled 1980 promises

Democrat challenge Hopefuls

Gary Hart, Jesse Jackson Jackson first African- American

to make a strong run, “rainbow coalition”

Nominee Walter Mondale

Former Vice President Won backing from labor unions,

party bigwigs, various interest groups

VP NY congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro (1st female VP nominee)

Election Results Reagan/Bush 59% Democrats

Retain Congress Try to reorganize

Clinton, Gore, Lieberman Formed Democratic Leadership

Conference More centrist party position Wanted to reverse image as

“big government” and “tax-and-spend” party

Budget Deficits and Trade Legislative

achievements Immigration reform and

control act of 1986 Tax-reform law

Eliminated deductions Established uniform rates Removed 6 million low-

income from tax rolls Reshaped Supreme Court

conservative Sky-high federal deficit

Tax cuts + increase in military spending = DEBT

Debt tripled during Reagan years

Increased trade gap Tax cuts increased

consumption, especially of foreign goods!!

Iran-Contra Affair Worst scandal

Arose from efforts to control events in L.A. 1986 Beirut Newspaper

reported that US gave Iran missiles in 1985 Claimed it was to

encourage moderates and gain release of hostages

Lt. Col. Oliver North Took money for

Nicaraguan Contras Destroyed evidence

Aid forbidden by Congress Reagan denied knowledge

1987 Senate Investigations on T.V.

Other scandals Bribery, government

influence

Warming of US-Soviet Relations 1985

New Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

Revived arms-control talks Glasnost-openness to end

political repression Perestroika- restructuring of

Soviet Economy Meetings in Switzerland 1985,

Iceland 1986 Revived stalled arms-control

policies 1987 signed Intermediate-

range Nuclear Forces Treaty Removed 2500 missiles from

Europe Also pulled troops from Afghanistan

1988 Eliminated class of weapons

Moscow 1988 Historic visit

Made some Reagan supporters upset

Marked beginning of the End

Tensions in the Middle East Situation dire

1987 Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank rise up

Sec. of State George Shultz Tried to start talks = failed Plan for Palestinian autonomy

PLO rejects and wanted full statehood

Israel built more settlements Violence

Rise of terrorists Freedom Fighters

1985 bombing of Vienna and Rome

TWA flight held hostage, ships hijacked

Reagan blames Libya Muammar Quadaffi

U.S. bombs Libya Pan Am Flight 103

259 killed Libyans charged

Restored stability and continuity in US politics Domestically

Inflation tamed Economy up after 1983 Deficit soared Ignored social issues Challenger Explosion 1986 Sally Ride- 1st woman astronaut

Internationally Restored national pride Aggressive anti-communist policy Shadow of world terrorism

Supporters Wanted a third term!

Critics Deficit soared Ignored social issues,

environmental concerns, and long-term economic issues