The 1970s: A Decade of Nightmares

The Mainstreaming of the Sixties

• 1970s fashion• African Americans• Diversity • Women and families• Turning within• Skepticism of

government

The Nixon Presidency• Who was Richard Nixon?• Vietnam• Race• The EPA• Détente

Watergate

• The result? A loss of confidence in government

EXTERNAL THREATS

The 1973 Oil Crisis• October 1973 to March 1974

International Terrorism

The Carter Formula• A renewed emphasis on human rights• The Panama Canal Treaty, 1977• Some felt Carter’s policies signaled weakness

Fears about Détente• Many Americans feared that the USSR had gained the upper

hand, and as a result the late 1970s was a time of increased anticommunism.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_I4WgBfETc

The Iran Hostage Crisis

INTERNAL THREATS

Cities in Crisis• Finances• Crime• Drugs• Homeless

Weather Underground

Protecting Children• Child abuse• Sexual predators• Child pornography• Child sex rings• Kidnapping• “Angel dust” (PCP)• Satanic ritual abuse

Economic Recession

CONTRASTING VISIONS

The 1980 Election• Jimmy Carter v. Ronald Reagan

The Rise of Conservatism• Small government• Anticommunism• “Biblical” morality

Paul Ehrlich v. Julian Simon