Righting a Nation Adrift. America in the 1970 s and 1980 s

Transcription

1 Righting a Nation Adrift America in the 1970 s and 1980 s

2 An Ailing Economy Rising Energy Costs High Inflation High govt. spending w/o raising taxes Reliance on Middle East for oil Yom Kippur War 1973 Egypt & Syria both attacked Israel w/ USSR weapons Israel w/ USA weapons» OPEC-an int l consortium of oilproducing nations that regulates the $ and # of oil» OPEC oil embargo on US (12%) for 5 months Nixon: 55 MPH, 68 Degrees, 10% less air travel, creates Dept. of Energy (1977) Nixon persuaded Israel to withdraw/oil flowed again Recession of 1970 s Stagflation Decline in Big Three Automakers Decline in Steel Jobs from the Rust Belt went to the Sun Belt or overseas US economy shifted from a manufacturing base to service & high tech Steve Jobs-Apple/Bill Gates-Microsoft Downtown and Scandal

3 Frustration at Home Election of 1968-wins by slim margin/focus on reelection- C.R.E.E.P. Nixon as Moderate Fiscal conservative who accepted popular welfare programs like Social Security and Medicare. Silent Majority southerners and northern white blue collar and suburbanite Democrats Downtown and Scandal

4 Liberal DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS: FORCED LIB. LEG. TO HIS DESK ECONOMIC POLICIES: STAGFLATION REQUIRED NIXON TO SUPPORT KEYNESIAN ECONOMIC POLICIES (deficit spending) Occupational Safety and Health Administration Conservative OPPOSED FORCED INTEGRATION IN PUBLIC FACILITIES OPPOSED BUSSING TO INTEGRATE SCHOOLS SWUNG SUPREME COURT TO THE RIGHT BY APPOINTING 3 CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES (REHNQUIST) Downtown and Scandal

5 Watergate Scandal Election of 1972 Nixon (R) George McGovern (D) Break in of DNC at Watergate Woodward and Bernstein/Washington Post Deep Throat-Mysterious informant What did the president know and when did he know it??? Nixon authorized FBI to coverup the mess. Did he authorize the break in??? Agnew s Resigns: found guilty of accepting bribes 1 st VP to resign Gerald Ford 1 st President and V.P. w/o getting elected Nixon invokes executive privilege US vs. Nixon Saturday Night Massacre Nixon Resigns Downtown and Scandal

6 Crisis of Presidential Leadership A Weakened Presidency Gerald Ford (R) VP to President Pardons Nixon-loss public support for action/nation not ready to move on Federal Election Commission (1974) To monitor federal elections Congress set limits on campaign contributions Reaction/Political Action Committees (P.A.C.)

7 Carter in the White House First things First Pardons Vietnam War draft dodgers Creates Dept. of Education Creates Superfund to clean up pollution sites Outsider Differed from Liberal Democrats/Carter deregulated big businesses to stimulate economy Energy Crisis Ended price control on oil, raised tax on gas- gulzzing cars, and tax incentive for alternative fuels/failed to get higher tax on gasoline Result: High prices and gas shortage for consumers/record amount of profit for Exxon Malaise Speech -public resentment Crisis of Presidential Leadership

8 New Paths in Foreign Affairs Panama Canal Treaty Diplomatic relations with China, not Taiwan Soviet Union Aggression Invades Afghanistan ( ) Carter withdraws from S.A.L.T. II treaty- Cut off Grain-Withdraw of Olympics in Moscow Sent aid to Muslim fundamentalist rebels against USSR (Osama Bin Laden) Camp David Accords-greatest accomplishment Egypt 1 st Arab nation to recognize state and Israel returns Sinai- US military aid Iranian Hostage Crisis-worst Iranian Revolution-overthrow of Shah (US installed & supported) US held hostage in US embassy-1 year Failed Rescue (8 US dead) Released: Carter s work/reagan s Reward Crisis of Presidential Leadership

9 Equal Rights Amendment Feminist goals: equal pay for equal work, ending sexual harassment, affordable daycare, and paid maternity leave Challenges Negative image from press Divisions among women Successes Shelters for battered women Rape-crisis centers Title IV-prohibits gender discrimination in education Gloria Steinem-Founder of Ms. Magazine 1972 E.R.A Congress passed in 1972 equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any State on account of sex. 34 of the 38 states needed approved the measure within 3 yrs Anti-ERA crusade-led by Phyllis Schlafly Failed to get three states in 1982 Abortion Controversies Roe v. Wade (1973) legalized abortion during the first trimester, states second, and then prohibit during third. Pro-Choice (supporters of women s choice) vs. Pro-Life (supporters of life at conception) The Rights Revolution

10 Environmentalism Earth Day April 22, 1970 Counterculture-organic food Politicians-bipartisan legislation on health issues Conservationists-wildlife President-JFK to Carter Federal controls Asbestos removal Airborne toxins Auto pollution Debate (General vs. Blue Collar workers) Environmental Protection Agency charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress Nixon Administration 1970 Clean Air Act 1970 Clean Water Act of 1972 Disasters Love Canal 1978-pollution/ miscarriages & birth defects Three Mile Island-Nuclear Power Plant melt down Demise President Reagan did not believe environment was in serious jeopardy Defunds EPA & loosens regulation The Rights Revolution

11 New Conservative Coalition Religious Right-collection of conservative Christian groups that defended traditional values and supported rightwinged political causes Moral Majority-Jerry Falwell pro-life, pro-family, promorality,and pro-american Joined other conservatives groups and register two million new voters in 1980 Protestants and Catholics join forces Propelled Ronald Reagan into the Whitehouse 1980 Iranian hostages are released the minute that he is sworn in Rise of the Right

12 Setting a New Course: Reagan at Home Reaganomics (supply-side) Cut taxes that would fuel economic growth, creating more and better-paying jobs that would generate enough tax revenue to offset the increase in military spending Trickle-down economics (Hoover) 1. Economic Recovery Act of 1981: cut corporate and income taxes by $747 billion over 5 years. Favored wealthiest and therefore, smallest class of people 2. Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981: Cut Federal spending by $136 billion in 200 cultural and social programs Hardest hit: education, environment, health care, housing, urban aid, food stamps, alternative fuel research, and the arts John Hinckley shoots Pres. Reagan and Press Secretary Brady in DC Rise of the Right

13 Deregulation Reagan appointed conservatives to positions with in the EPA, OSHA, and Consumer Product Safety Commission who weakened/abolished standards governing environmental protection, workplace safety, consumer protection with the ultimate goal of increasing efficiency and productivity of American business sector 1982-Severe economic recession hits: Unemployment=11% (that s 11.5 million people!!) Reaganomics had created 13 million new jobs BUT over ½ of those paid at or below poverty There is more family income per family BUT both parents had to work to pay the bills National Debt and Deficit Spending Soared Tax cuts shrank revenues and increased military spending amounted to a $2 trillion debt by % of federal budget was earmarked to pay INTEREST ON THE DEBT Interest rates rose as US gov. was forced to borrow money to pay debt What once was the world biggest creditor had now become the world s largest debtor!!! Rise of the Right

14 1984-Reagan easily wins reelection over Mondale/Ferraro Ticket Morning in America Reagan announces the nation s first trillion-dollar budget 1987 Oct. 19: Black Monday stock market crash: the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. falls by 508 points (23 %) eased regulations on banking and Savings and Loan industry encouraged risky behavior that culminated in widespread S&L failures US govt. bails out S & L at a cost of $400 billion to the taxpayer Rise of the Right

15 Foreign Policy Triumphs Reagan campaigned on idea that US was too weak 1981 Pentagon budget-$169 Billion 1986= $239 Billion Total Reagan budgets for military spending=$1.6 trillion Defense contracts brought prosperity to some regions/states (California/Silicon Valley) 1980: defense was 23% of fed. Budget and human programs were 28% 1987: defense was 22% and human programs 22% Star Wars-SDI Sandinistas in Nicaragua US Aid sent to Contras/USSR Sandinistas Iran-Contra Scandal Reagan delivers the Evil Empire speech and heats up détente President orders Marines to liberate Grenada and oust a pro- Marxist regime Rise of the Right

16 Beirut Bombings-1983 Shiite Muslims blow up the US Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 A truck bomb blows up a US Marine headquarters in Beirut, killing 231 troops The USSR and the communist bloc boycott the 1984 Olympic Games in LA in retaliation for the 1980 boycott by the US Gorbachev and Reagan meet in Washington to sign a treaty banning all short- and medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe (INF Treaty) in 1987 Reagan visits West Berlin and demands that Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall (down in 1989) Rise of the Right