American Life During The Nixon Years

A short presentation of key background

Movements for change change direction

Following Kent State shootings, campus activism diminishes greatly in fall of 1970

African American civil rights movement inspired new movements in the late 60s/early 70s, including:Women’s rights movementGay rights movementEnvironmental movementNative Americans, Latinos, and other groups

The environmental movement

1st Earth Day: April 22, 197020 million Americans

gathered in parksInfluence on Congress,

Nixon leads to actionNew ideas: recycling,

vegetarianism, organic farming, solar energy, etc. take shape in the early 70s

The political climate

Nixon: Republican

Democratically-controlled House and Senate

The Nixon Economy

Unemployment goes from 3.3 to 6.2% by 1971

Budget deficit of $25 billion; inflation rate of 5% in 1969

Inflation exploded to 9% in 1973, 12% in 1974

Arab oil embargo against the U.S. in 1973 for their support for Israel led to quadrupling of prices, long gas lines, etc.

Economic recession: “stagflation”

Nixon’s war on militant protesters and his “enemies”

Nixon wanted to destroy enemies so he would be unbeatable in 1972

Created a secret task force to spy on journalists

Used the IRS to audit his opponents

FBI illegally wiretapped his opponents

Justice Dept and local police worked to destroy the Black Panthers

CIA illegally investigated thousands of Americans

Nixon’s Enemies List

“Anyone who opposes us, we’ll destroy. In fact, anyone who doesn’t support us, we’ll destroy.” -top Nixon aide

Enemies’ list: Bill Cosby, Paul Newman, Ralph Nader, John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, Ted Kennedy, Joe Namath!

Check this crazy document out: http://www.colorado.edu/A

mStudies/lewis/film/enemies.htm

Huston Plan

Nixon approved the Huston Plan: CIA/FBI plan to infiltrate

anti-war and civil rights groups

Break in, burglarize, plant evidence, wiretap, etc.

Denied by J. Edgar Hoover…

…So Nixon created his own secret unit called “The Plumbers.”

Last but not least…Vice President Agnew resignsOctober 10, 1973Pleads no contest to

income tax evasion and accepting $30,000 in bribes; resigns as VP, fined $10,000, given three years probation.