MR. WHITE’S US HISTORY 2

SOCIAL CONCERNS IN THE 1980S

MAIN IDEA AND OBJECTIVES

• Main Idea: Beneath the surge of prosperity that marked the conservative era of the 1980s lay serious social problems.• After this section, we should be able to:– Identify national concerns about education, drug use,

health issues, and urban problems– Summarize political, economic, and social gains achieved

by women– Describe how conservative policies affected minority

groups

PART I: HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND CITIES IN CRISIS

IN THE 1980S, THE NATION FACED MANY DIFFERENT SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

HEALTH CONCERNS – HIV/AIDS

• One of the new health issues that Americans dealt with in the 1980s was the growth of HIV-AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immunodeficiency Symdrome)

• AIDS is a virus that destroys the immune system, and allows other sicknesses to attack the body of the infected person, or allows rare forms of cancer to develop

• Most of the early victims of the disease were homosexual men or intravenous drug users who shared needles

• However, many people contracted the disease through infected blood transfusions, or as children born to mothers with HIV-AIDs

• As AIDS and news about it spread, there was growing concern over its spread, prevention, and care

THE SUPREME COURT AND ABORTION

• In 1973, the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade had established that first tri-mester abortions were protected by a woman’s right to privacy• Opponents of legalized abortion organized under

the term pro-life• Most believed that human life begins at conception, and

therefore abortions were taking a life

• People who supported legalized abortion described themselves as pro-choice• Reproductive choices were personal health-care matters,

many women had died from “back-alley” abortions

• Abortion restrictions vary from state to state today

THE WAR ON DRUGS

• The late 60’s and early 70’s had seen a rise in drug use in the United States, and many people became more concerned with the country’s drug problem

• Some people argued that many drugs should be legalized, so that the organized crime that made money off them could no longer do so

• Some called for more treatment facilities and education to treat addiction

• The Reagan administration responded with a “war on drugs”• Supported prosecuting users as well as dealers• First Lady Nancy Reagan toured the country with the slogan,

“Just Say No!”

A NATION AT RISK

• A Nation at Risk was an education report that was published in 1983• It said that American students lagged behind

those in other industrialized nations, especially in math and science• The report also pointed out many education

failures for adult Americans – some couldn’t fill out job applications, or follow instruction manuals

AMERICAN EDUCATION

• The commission that had written the report recommended more homework, longer school days, and an extended school year• It also supported higher pay and merit raises for

teachers• Also supported more emphasis on basic subjects

such as English, math, social studies, and computer science• President Bush argued that choice was the

salvation of American schools, and supported the use of public funds for children to attend schools of their choice

URBAN PROBLEMS

• The problems with education were connected with new problems in the cities• During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, many people had

moved from the cities to the suburbs• Many of these people were whites who feared the

immigration of minorities into the cities• Some were attracted by the suburban style of living, and

the interstate highways allowed them to live further from their jobs

• Some cities were already decaying, and this sped the process

URBAN DECLINE

• As people left the cities, some bad things happened:• Tax dollars decreased• Infrastructure (roads, buildings, utilities, schools) began

to decay• Businesses and industries began to leave the cities as

infrastructure crumbled• Social problems increased – poor education, rise in crime

rates, poverty and homelessness

RACIAL ISSUES

• South-central Los Angeles was an example of this urban decay• In 1992, four white police officers had been video-

taped beating a black American named Rodney King, who had been fleeing the police• The four officers were found not guilty on charges

of police brutality by an all-white jury• Shortly after the verdict, riots resulted in Los

Angeles, with 53 people dead

PART II: WOMEN WORK FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

IN THE 1980S, WOMEN CONTINUED TO WORK FOR EQUAL RIGHTS.

GROWING REPRESENTATION FOR WOMEN

• As we know, the Equal Rights Amendment was never ratified to the United States Constitution

• This amendment would have helped guarantee women certain rights such as equal pay in equal jobs, voting rights, etc.

• After the ERA failed to be ratified, women began to turn their attention to getting women into political offices to represent their interests

• In November of 1992, the number of women in the House of Representatives went from 23 to 47, and the number of women Senators went from two to six

GROWING ECONOMIC EQUALITY

• Women continued to work for economic equality• Women still only earned about 75 cents for every

dollar a man earned in a comparable job• Female college graduates earned only slightly more than

male high school graduates

• The poverty rate for women was higher than that of men, as well• Fewer women were winning alimony payments in

divorces, and some courts were not enforcing child support payments

PAY EQUITY

• Women’s organizations and unions began proposing pay equity• Government jobs would be classified based on

amount of education, physical strength needed, and number of people supervised• Men and women would then be paid on this pay scale

• By 1989, 20 states had adopted this system• In the workplace, woman began to win

government and corporate benefit packages• Maternity leave, flexible hours and workweeks, job

sharing, and work-at-home arrangements

PART III: THE FIGHT FOR RIGHTS CONTINUES

DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS.

INCREASING BLACK AMERICAN REPRESENTATION

• In the 1980s, black Americans made many gains• Black American mayors led many American cities –

L.A., Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and D.C.• Also served as sheriffs, school board members, state

legislators, members of Congress• 1990 – L. Douglas Wilder is the first black governor, Virginia• Jesse Jackson ran for the Democratic nomination for

president in 1984 and 1988

MIXED GAINS

• In the economic and career sector, black Americans were making gains, as well:• Many middle-class black Americans held professional and

managerial positions

• However, for poor black Americans, things were still not so good• The Supreme Court made several case decisions that

impacted civil rights, for instance, limiting the scope of affirmative action

LATINOS AND AMERICA

• In the 1980s, Latinos became the fastest-growing minority in the U.S.

• As the Latino population grew, many supported bilingual education – many did not want to lose their heritage or language

• Bilingual Education Act, 1968 – enabled Spanish-speakers to attend Spanish-speaking schools

• 1975 Amendment to the Voting Rights Act – enabled Spanish-speaking people to vote in Spanish

• Many critics believed that these laws would slow the rate at which Spanish-speakers entered mainstream American culture – feared a split between English and Spanish in America

NATIVE AMERICANS AND AMERICA

• Native Americans also worked to increase respect for their heritage and culture• Many organized schools to teach young Native Americans

about their past• Also began to fight for the return of ancestral lands that

had been taken

• The Reagan administration slashed aid to Native Americans for health, education, and other services• Many Native American groups opened casinos on

their lands as a way to raise money• These did bring in some income, but left many

problems in Native American societies

ASIAN AMERICANS AND AMERICA

• The number of Asians immigrating to the United States also began to grow• Some people cited Asian Americans as an

example of a successful minority group in the United States• Low crime rates, low school dropout rates, and low

divorce rates

• Still, Asian Americans faced many difficulties:• Higher poverty rate than national figures

GAY RIGHTS

• During the 1970s and 1980s, gay men and lesbians began to fight openly for civil rights• AIDS had been a setback for the gay community,

as it appeared to be a “gay man’s” disease, but increased knowledge of the disease dispelled this myth• The conservative movement largely condemned

gay activism as an attack on traditional values• However, gay Americans were able to get many

states to pass anti-discrimination laws

MAIN IDEA AND OBJECTIVES

• Main Idea: Beneath the surge of prosperity that marked the conservative era of the 1980s lay serious social problems.• After this section, we should be able to:– Identify national concerns about education, drug use,

health issues, and urban problems– Summarize political, economic, and social gains achieved

by women– Describe how conservative policies affected minority

groups

WRAP-UP

• So…• One of the concerns about American education was…• Many people were concerned about drug issues in

America because…• One of the health issues that concerned many Americans

was…• One of the problems that cities were having was…• One of the gains that women made in the 1980s was…• One of the gains that minority groups made in the 1980s

was…