American History Unit 30: American Politics: Nixon to Reagan

American History Unit 30: American Politics: Nixon to Reagan

Downfall of Richard Nixon 1972-1974 I. From Glory to Disgrace: The Downfall of Richard Nixon 1972-1974. A. The Achievements of President Nixon s second term as President. 1. Nixon began the withdrawal of U.S. servicemen from Vietnam. a. War Powers Act 1a. Congress reacted to Vietnam and Watergate by passing legislation to curtail executive power, which allowed the President with unlimited powers during wartime. 1aa. Now limited to 90 days w/o the consent of Congress. 2. Nixon set the stage for a de-escalation of the Cold War by personally visiting China and Russia to promote détente. a. Détente 1a. Relaxation of strained relationships between two or more countries. 3. Reorganized the Postal Service. 4. Nixon took steps to curb pollution (both noise and environmental). a. Clean Air Act, Water Quality Improvement Act. b. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) c. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

Downfall of Richard Nixon 1972-1974 Cont. II. Scandals marred President Nixon s second term. 1. Vice President Spiro Agnew a. Forced to resign because of uncovered bribes and other financial wrongdoings. 2. Watergate Scandal. a. A break-in occurred at the National Democratic Headquarters by the Committee to Reelect Nixon before his re-election. b. President Nixon tried to cover the break-in up after its failure. 3. President Nixon resigned from his Presidency in 1974. Vice President Spiro Agnew Richard Nixon resigned rather than face certain conviction for impeachment as a result of the Watergate Scandal.

Nixon Fun Facts Elvis Presley visited In 1970 President Nixon at the White House. Elvis asked for and received a Federal Narcotics badge for his badge collection. Shortly before his untimely death in 1977, Elvis was still being spied upon by the FBI, who noted that Elvis was using a dangerous amount of drugs. The FBI might have intervened to prevent Elvis's death, but chose not to do so. Richard M. Nixon, as a young naval officer in World War II, set up the only hamburger stand in the South Pacific. Nixon's Snack Shack served free burgers and Australian beer to flight crews.

Presidency of Gerald Ford I. Gerald Ford replaced Richard Nixon. A. President Ford pardoned President Nixon for the Watergate Scandal. 1. Caused resentment of the President by voters. 2. Ford refused to pardon Nixon's aides, twenty-five of whom were sent to prison. B. W.I.N. (Whip Inflation Now) Limited success. C. Ford vetoed 39 bills passed by Congress, and the economy fell into the deepest recession since the Great Depression. President Ford then pardoned former President Nixon of the Watergate Scandal, which caused resentment among voters. He lost his bid for re-election in 1976. Ford was generally seen as an honest and likeable fellow in the Coolidge mold: conservative, low-key, fond of golf and fishing, but a bit clumsy and dull. Gerald Ford 1974-1976 Gerald Ford was not elected as Vice President or President. He was selected to replaced Spiro Agnew as Vice president and when President Nixon resigned, Ford became the 38 th President of the United States.

O.P.E.C. and the Oil Crisis I. O.P.E.C (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Nations) organized by Middle East nations. A. Gasoline prices soared in America and gas stations ran out of gasoline.

OPEC: Map

Presidency of Jimmy Carter I. James E. Carter (Dem.) vs. Gerald Ford (Rep.) A. Jimmy Carter won the 1976 Presidential race. 1. Ford was unable to escape the cloud of Watergate and blamed for continuing inflation and recession. B. Events during the Carter Administration between 1976-1980. 1. Negotiated the Camp David Agreement, a landmark peace accord between Egypt and Israel. Jimmy Carter 1976-1980 A few months after the Camp David Agreement, Egyptian President Anwer Sadat was assassinated by Muslim extremists for making peace with Israel.

Iranian Hostage Crisis 2. Iranian Hostage Crisis. a. Iranian President is overthrown and Iranian government was replaced by radical Muslim fundamentalists. b. Took over the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, Iran and held fifty-three American hostages. c. U.S. operation to rescue hostages failed. 1c. Hostages would remain for the duration of the Carter Administration. The hostage crisis marked the lowest point in the Carter presidency. It was 444 days before intense diplomatic activity secured the release of the remaining 52 hostages. The hostage crisis ended in January 1981, on the same day as Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president.

Panama Canal Treaty I. Panama Canal Treaty A. Carter signed deal with Panama in 1979 to give Panama full control of the Panama Canal.

Russian Invasion of Afghanistan I. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan A. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, prompting Carter to declare an embargo on the Soviet Union and a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, prompting Carter to declare an embargo on the Soviet Union and a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

U.S. Recognized the People s Republic of China I. The United States Recognized the People s Republic of China A. U.S. recognizes People's Republic of China as legitimate government of China instead of Taiwan.

Legacy of Ronald Reagan I. The Election of 1980 A. James E. Carter (Dem.) vs. Ronald Reagan (Rep.) 1. Ronald Reagan won by a landslide. II. Main events during the Reagan Presidency: A. The U.S. hostages held in Iran were released. B. Reagan took a hard line against the Evil Empire" of the Soviet Union C. Promoted a Strategic Defense Initiative (a futuristic space-based defense system nicknamed "Star Wars") Star Wars Ronald Reagan 1981-1988

Supply-Side Economics III. Supply-Side Economics A. Reagan pushed for less government and lower taxes. 1. Large tax cuts primarily benefited affluent Americans. B. Massive budget cuts in domestic spending: 1. Aid to cities for housing and social services 2. Unemployment compensation 3. Medicare, welfare, and food stamp allocations 4. College student grants, job training, education, and even school lunch programs were cut. C. Large increases in defense spending, combined with tax cuts, caused the deficit to soar.

Supply-Side Economics Diagram

Assassination Attempt on Reagan IV. An assassination attempt was made against Ronald Reagan in 1981. A. Reagan was shot and severely wounded, but survived. B. The assassination attempt was made by John Hinkley. John Hinkley Reagan s Press Secretary, James Brady, sustained a very serious head wound. Later, Brady became leading advocate of gun control (Brady Bill) and other actions to reduce the amount of gun violence in the United States.

U.S. Invasion of Grenada I. Grenada Rescue Mission of 1983 (invasion?) A. U.S. troops invaded the island of Grenada and rescued medical students from an attempted Communists coup on the island. 1. The operation was a great success for the U.S. forces.

Reagan Re-elected in 1984 I. The Election of 1984. A. Ronald Reagan (Rep) vs. Walter Mondale (Dem.) 1. Reagan won by another landslide victory.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Glasnost I. Mikhail Gorbachev became new leader of the Soviet Union (1985). A. Introduced policy of Glasnost (openness.) 1. Relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union improved. Mikhail Gorbachev, the President of the former Soviet Union introduced a policy of Glasnost (openness.)

Iran-Contra Scandal I. The press referred to Reagan as the, Teflon President," but he remained popular despite several scandals within his administration. A. Iran-Contra Affair (1987) 1. Weapons were secretly sold to Iran. a. Profits illegally channeled to support anti-communist Nicaraguan rebels. b. The operation was run out of the White House by Marine Colonel, Oliver North. c. Congress held hearings to investigate. 1c. President Reagan claimed no knowledge of the Iran-Contra operation and was acquitted. Reagan's popularity enabled him to weather the storm of the Iran-Contra affair. Oliver North

Ronald Reagan Fun Facts: 1. First President to have been divorced. 2. First President to have been a professional actor. 3. He was the oldest President. 4. During Ronald Reagan's presidency, the White House purchased 12 tons of jellybeans.

Terms to Know War Powers Act Détente Spiro Agnew Watergate Scandal Gerald Ford W.I.N. O.P.E.C. Jimmy Carter Camp David Agreement Anwer Sadat Iranian Hostage Crisis Panama Agreement Afghanistan 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow People s Republic of China Taiwan Ronald Reagan Evil Empire Strategic Defense Initiative "Star Wars Supply-Side Economics John Hinkley James Brady Grenada Rescue Mission Walter Mondale Mikhail Gorbachev Glasnost Iran-Contra Affair Nicaraguan Rebels Oliver North

Concepts to Know What were some of the positive accomplishments of Richard M. Nixon? What were some of the reasons that led to Richard Nixon's downfall? Describe the presidency of Gerald Ford. Describe the presidency of Jimmy Carter. What was the Iranian Hostage Crisis? What was the impact of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan? Describe the events during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. What was Glasnost? Describe the Iran-Contra Scandal.