united states history
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United States History. Chapter 34: From Nixon to Carter. President Nixon. Much of Nixon’s support came from middle class Americans He called his supporters the “Silent Majority” People that were not involved in the protesting and violence of the 1960s - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
United States HistoryChapter 34:
From Nixon to Carter
President NixonMuch of Nixon’s support came from middle class
Americans He called his supporters the “Silent Majority” People that were not involved in the protesting and violence
of the 1960sWelfare reform was biggest policy concern
Thought that Great Society programs were wasteful and made people rely on the government
Proposed the Family Assistance Plan (FAP) to replace most welfare, but it was never passed
Not a big supporter of civil rights laws Hoped to lure southerners from the Democratic Party, so he
assured people that he would not support more civil rights laws
Appointed a conservative in Warren Burger in 1969 when Earl Warren retired
President NixonThe economy was stumbling when Nixon took over
in 1969Normally, if unemployment was high, inflation was
low, and vice versaHowever, both were high during his presidency, which
is called stagflationEnforced price and wage freezes to curb inflation,
which worked; inflation rose again when controls were lifted in 1974, up to 12%!
The Energy CrisisBy 1973, the US used twice as much oil as it
producedMuch of the oil imported came from a group of
nations called OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
President Nixon Because of US support of Israel in the Arab-Israeli War,
OPEC cut off shipments to the USPrices for oil rose 400% in a few short monthsEnergy prices skyrocketed, and lines for gas stations
sometimes ran for milesThe embargo was lifted in 1974, but prices remained
high Nixon wanted the nation to rely less on foreign oil
Proposed the 55 mph speed limitAuthorized building of Trans-Alaska PipelineAuthorized the building of dozens of nuclear power
plants throughout the nationMany were scared of nuclear accidentsSupporters said the benefits outweighed the negatives
President NixonWorked to help protect the environment
First Earth Day, April 22, 1970Created the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), 1970Clean Air Act, 1970Water Quality Improvement Act, 1972Endangered Species Act, 1973
Foreign policy (outside of Vietnam) based on realpolitik (practical politics)Serve the national interest, rather than democracy
and human rightsBalance power between nations, otherwise risk a
war
President NixonChina
Worked to improve relations with China, who had become an enemy of the Soviet Union
Made an historic visit to China in 1972 that eventually led to greater trade and cultural ties
Soviet Union Met in May 1972 to Leonid Brezhnev, leader of USSR Signed the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT)
Limited the number of ICBMs a nation could possessDid not end arms race, but took steps to reduce arms
Entered a period of détente, a lessening of tensions between the two superpowers
Israel Oct. 1973 Yom Kippur War USSR threatened to intervene, but a cease fire was called
between Israel, Syria and Egypt
WatergateNixon was a very paranoid man, and felt that he had
the power to do almost whatever he pleasedAfter the Pentagon Papers were leaked, he organized a
system to stop info from leaking again Compiled an “enemies list” Created the Plumbers, a group of CIA and FBI agents
used to ensure things would not be leaked In June 1972, the Plumbers were being used to ensure
Nixon’s reelection that fall A group of Plumbers were caught breaking into the
Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex
They were carrying wiretaps and other spying equipment Paid by the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP)
WatergateNixon immediately denied any links to the break-inHowever, two reporters from the Washington Post
continued to investigate Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward Used a highly secretive source, known only as “Deep Throat”
to obtain info on the break-in Informed that 50 agents had been hired to sabotage Dems
reelection bid for 1972Nixon easily won reelection, but investigations began on
the Watergate break-ins Investigations were held over accusations of criminal
activities and a presidential cover-up Several White House officials were found guilty and sent to
jail for their role Nixon was accused of being directly involved, to which he
denied
“I am not a crook!”
WatergateNixon had secretly tape recorded conversations in his office
The prosecution demanded the tapes, but Nixon refused, saying it would endanger national security
Spiro Agnew, his vice president, plead guilty to tax evasion in Oct. 1973, and resigned
Gerald Ford was named the new vice president A series of firings took place over the tapes
Nixon ordered Archibald Cox, the man demanding the tapes, to be fired
His Attorney General and assistant resigned rather than fire Cox
Robert Bork, who took over as Attorney General, fired Cox in what became known as the Saturday Night Massacre
The public was outraged and demanded Nixon’s impeachment
Watergate Nixon slowly gave up some of the tapes
Refused to give all of the tapes Some of the tapes had gaps in them, supposedly erased by
Nixon himself In July 1974, the Supreme Court ordered he turn over the
tapes The tapes told the whole story of what happened
Nixon ordered the scandal covered up and other illegal activities
Articles of impeachment were recommended by the House Judiciary Committee
Rather than face impeachment, Nixon resigned, effective August 9, 1974 Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, nominating Nelson
Rockefeller as vice president Became first president to resign
Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
Ford’s PresidencyFord had a tough job of trying to restore faith in
the governmentFord pardoned Nixon for all wrongdoing in
Watergate, to which the public was outragedAt odds with a Democratically controlled
Congress, vetoing 66 bills in his short termThe economy pulled Ford’s approval even lower
Attempted to address inflation with Whip Inflation Now (WIN), a program of budget and tax cuts, but could not get Congress on board
The nation endured another recession during his presidency, harming his chances of reelection in 1976
Ford’s PresidencyContinued many of Nixon’s foreign policy measuresKept Henry Kissinger as his secretary of stateAsian Relations
Proposed millions for Vietnam and Cambodia, but was only able to secure humanitarian aid
Mayaguez incident: Cambodia seized an American ship, to which Ford responded strongly; however, 41 were killed in the incident
Africa Largely ignored, but Ford secretly funneled money to an
anticommunist movement in AngolaSoviet Union
Continued détente, but fragilely Failed to obtain a trade pact, but negotiated an arms-
limitation treaty, however, the Senate failed to ratify
Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
Jimmy Carter In 1976, Democrat Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated
Republican Gerald Ford for the presidency A Washington outsider barely known outside of the South Promised to maintain an open presidency
Had to address many issues in his term Pardoned Vietnam draft dodgers High inflation of 13.3% that drove the economy back into
recession by 1980 Oil prices continued to hamper the economy
Energy Proposal Keep the 55 mph speed limit Reduce thermostats in home Created the Department of Energy to oversee issues Supported nuclear energy, but was delivered a blow by a
near meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979
Jimmy CarterWhile he struggled with domestic issues, many foreign
issues also plagued Carter’s term Rejected the realpolitik of Nixon and Ford, upsetting
many dictators of US alliesPanama: negotiated the Panama Canal Treaties to turn
control of the canal over to Panama by 2000Supported African nations and self-rule, especially
condemning apartheid in South AfricaSoviet Union: détente continued to decline
Officially ended in December 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
Cut off grain shipments to USSR and boycotted the 1980 Olympics, held in Moscow
Nearly prevented the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Also postponed signing an arms treaty with the Soviets
Jimmy CarterMost notable achievement was a Middle East peace
treaty Invited Egypt and Israel to the US to work out a peace
before another war broke out Anwar Sadat (Egypt) and Menachem Begin (Israel) signed
the Camp David Accords in 1978 Iran Hostage Crisis
Revolution in Iran overthrew the US backed Shah, while installing a theocracy led by Ayatollah Khomeini
When the US let the Shah in to the US for medical treatment, students overran the US Embassy
Hostages were held for 444 days Carter tried to free them, but 8 soldiers were killed when
their helicopter crashed The hostages were released the day that Reagan became
president
Life in the 1970sDemographics
Immigration, mostly from Latin America and AsiaMany came from Mexico, Cuba, China and VietnamVoting Rights Act of 1975 required ballots to be printed in
other languagesBilingual Education Act gave money to schools to teach in
native languages while people learned English Sunbelt States
Many moved from the NE and Midwest to Sun Belt states of the South and Southwest
Home air conditioning made it possible for many to live in the hot climates
Family lifePeople put off marrying, many not marrying at allDivorce rates increased to almost 50%Family sizes drastically reduced, compared to the baby boom
Life in the 1970sPeople began to look to ways to improve themselves
Health clubs and jogging became popular However, alcohol and fast food consumption rose, with more
and more meals coming from outside the homeEntertainment
The movie industry boomed during the decade, churning out blockbusters left and right
Music was defined by rock and new versions of it in the form of heavy metal, punk, and, most popular, disco
Technology Creation of the personal computer by Steve Jobs and Stephen
Wozniak (Apple) Atari video game console in the home Telephone answering machine Skylab space station Satellite and cable tv