The$Presidencies$of$$ Gerald$Ford$&$Jimmy$Carter$

The$Presidencies$of$$ Gerald$Ford$&$Jimmy$Carter$

Gerald Ford (1974-1976) Ford was the only American president who was never elected either Vice- President or President. Appointed to office in 1973 after Vice-President Spiro Agnew resigned under charges of tax evasion and money laundering. Ford acknowledged this fact in his first public address as president: I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it. Those who nominated and confirmed me as Vice President were my friends and are my friends. They were of both parties, elected by all the people and acting under the Constitution in their name. It is only fitting then that I should pledge to them and to you that I will be the President of all the people.

Ford s Domestic Policy On TV his first day in office, Ford seemed like the anti-nixon: square-jawed, plainspoken, keeping steady eye contact with the camera. "My fellow Americans," he said, "our long national nightmare is over." Ford looked to many like the honest, decent Midwesterner that he was.

On September 8, 1974, in an attempt to move the country away from Watergate, Ford angering and disillusioning many in the nation concerning the presidency. The$Pardon$

Ford faced a firestorm of criticism and outrage for this move. Speculation that he had. Ford denied any deal-making. Said was for made for the greatest good of all the people of the United States. Approval ratings fell from.

At the start of Ford s presidency, both and continued to rise and the economy worsened. Inflation rose from by the end of 1974 due to increases in gasoline and heating oil costs caused from OPEC s oil price increases in 1973. Ford responded with his program, or WIN that called for all Americans to take energy-saving measures and cut back on oil and gas use. The plan failed.

Economic Policy Ford tried to stop inflation by cutting while the Federal Reserve raised. The plan backfired and instead caused the.

Foreign Policy$ Once in office, Ford asked to stay on as Secretary of State as Ford wanted to continue Nixon s policy of negotiating with the Soviet Union and China.. In 1974, after meeting Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev, the U.S. and the USSR agreed to another nuclear arms control agreement (known as ). Shortly after, Ford met with 35 nations, including the Soviet Union in Helsinki Finland. Here, Ford signed the, his greatest presidential accomplishment, that promised greater cooperation between the nations of Eastern and Western Europe.

About$the$Helsinki$Accords$ The$Soviets$were$eager$to$sign$the$agreement,$ because$the$helsinki$accords$mostly$focused$on$ respect$for $.$ Moscow$believed$that$the$agreement$allowed$ them$to$con@nue$their$control$of$eastern$europe$ with.$ For$that$reason,$President$Ford$was$heavily$ cri@cized$for$signing$the$agreement.$$

Helsinki$Leads$To$ $to$ Soviet$Communism$in $ However,$the$Accords$also$ required$countries$to$respect$$ human$rights.$ The$agreement$allowed$ ci@zens$to$monitor$how$well$ their$countries$respected$ human$rights.$$ Civic$groups$demanding$ freedom$and$opposed$to$ Soviet$Communism$emerged$ in$ $ $ and$the$.$$$,$an$independent$ trade$union$in,$was$ an$example$(right).$

Helsinki$and$the$End$$ of$the$ $ Another$part$of$the$ Agreement$called$for$ na@ons$to$meet$ regularly.$ These$regular$mee@ngs$ helped$keep$ $ $.$ Overall,$historians$ credit$the$agreement$ with$helping$to$end$the$ Cold$War.$

The 1976 Election In 1976 Republicans were divided over Ford s leadership. Former California governor,, a conservative, challenged Ford for the Presidential nomination. After a bitter campaign, Ford defeated Reagan and gained the Republican nomination for President.

However,, the Democratic nominee, won the 1976 election by a narrow margin.

Carter held Roosevelt-like -- on radio and television to stay in touch with the American public. However, Carter failed to. Both parties therefore often went against the president s budget proposals and major.

The Energy Crisis As U.S. dependence on foreign oil grew, President Jimmy Carter focused on. Carter presented Congress with more than 100 proposals for energy conservation and development most failed to become law. He called his energy campaign the " which critics shortened to "MEOW." In his 1978 State of the Union message, Carter reiterated the need for an energy bill, but could not rally support.

Economic Issues in the Carter Administration President during a period of continued --rising prices and high unemployment during a recession. By 1980, inflation had climbed to nearly, while unemployment was above. As inflation and unemployment rose,. The high inflation rate and Carter s inability to solve the energy crisis helped send the conservative to the White House. Carter s Struggle Balance!

Many of Carter s economic problems were caused by the changing American economy. (a trend that started in the 1950s.) Workers who were left out of manufacturing jobs faced a tough job market. Many of the higher-paying service jobs required more education and the lower-skilled service jobs usually did not pay well.

cut into many American markets causing, and cut backs in the production of iron, steel, rubber, clothing, and automobiles. High energy costs + foreign competition + computerized production = companies eliminated tens of thousands of jobs.

Disaster$at $ Opposi@on$to $grew$in$ response$to$the$disaster$at$three$mile$island,$ near$harrisburg,$pa.$ 800,000$gallons$of$radioac@ve$water$burst$from$ a$cooling$unit,$threatening$to$contaminate$the$ Susquehanna$Valley$with$grave$toxins.$ At$the$same$@me,$ $was$ playing$in$theatres the$film$drama@zed$the$ accident$that$had$actually$occurred.$ As$a$result$of$the$disaster,$the$nuclear$power$ industry $

Carter s Foreign Policy Carter strove for a foreign policy committed to by using his moral principles as a guide. To this end, Carter cut off military aid to Argentina and Brazil because they had imprisoned or tortured thousands of their own citizens. As a follow up, Carter established the in the State Department.

Human Rights (cont.) Supporters of containment argued that Carter s human rights policy undercut allies like, a dictatorship but anti-communist nation. Carter believed that the U.S. should commit to promoting human rights, such as the freedoms and liberties listed in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights throughout the world. Others felt that Carter was inconsistent as he supported dictators in, the and.

Relations with Nixon and Ford had worked to ease relations with the Communist superpowers of China and the Soviet Union through détente. Carter s insistence on however, led to the breakdown in relations with the Soviet Union as Carter did not like the Soviet Union s.

Soviet Invasion of In Dec. 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan because they feared a rebel victory from a strong Muslim group would overthrow an ally. The fought the Soviets to a stalemate using guerrilla tactics and their knowledge of the mountainous terrain. In February 1989, the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. By 2000, the, a radical Muslim faction, controlled 90% of Afghanistan. During the Soviet-Afghanistan War, Americans armed Afghan rebels and trained them terrorist tactics that would later be used against America.