Identifications
Spiro Agnew Agnew was the governor of Maryland who ran as vice president with Richard Nixon in 1968. He was known for his tough stands against dissidents and black militants. He strongly supported Nixon's desire to stay in Vietnam. He was forced to resign in October 1973 after having been accused of accepting bribes or "kickbacks" from Maryland contractors while governor and V.P. He was replaced by Gerald Ford.
Henry Kissinger Kissinger was Nixon's national security adviser. He and his family escaped Hitler's anti-Jewish persecutions. He was a former Harvard professor. In 1969, he’d begun meeting secretly on Nixon's behalf with North Vietnamese officials in Paris to negotiate an end to the war in Vietnam. He also helped ease relations with China.
Earl Warren Warren was the Chief Justice who discussed such taboo issues as black civil rights. He oversaw the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case which said that segregation in public schools was not equal. He conducted the investigation into Kennedy's assassination which accepted the ruling of the lone gunman. His court also addressed hot topics such as criminal rights, reapportionment, separation of church and state, and the right to privacy.
Warren Burger Burger was the Supreme Court justice during the Nixon administration. He was chosen by Nixon because of his strict interpretation of the Constitution. He presided over the highly controversial pro-abortion case Roe v. Wade in 1973.
George McGovern McGovern was a senator from South Dakota who ran for president in 1972 on the Democrat ticket. Hispromise was to pull the remaining American troops out of Vietnam in 90 days, which earned him the support of the anti-war “doves.” The working-class supported him, also. He lost however to Nixon
John Dean Dean testified against Nixon as well as other cabinet members in the Watergate hearings. His testimony helped lead to the removal of several White House officials and the resignation of Nixon. Before his testimony, he had been a White House lawyer.
Shah of Iran Pahlavi became Shah in 1941 with U.S. help, when the allies of WWII forced the abdication of his father. Communist and nationalist movements created unrest and tension during the early years of his reign. The Shah distributed royal lands to poverty-stricken farmers. He is known for both social and economic reform in Iran. With the abundance of oil-drinking machines, the Shah became a powerful world leader, and the main military power in the Middle East. Muslims and the Ayatollah forced the Shah and his family into exile in 1979, where he died in Cairo on July 27, 1980.
Aytollah Khomeini Khomeini was a radical Muslim holy man who sparked opposition and violence toward the United States in the Middle East. His rein sparked the taking of American hostages in Iraq.
Détente This was a period of relaxed tension between the communist powers of the Soviet Union and China. During this time the Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty as well as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) cut back nuclear weapons.
Vietnamization This was President Nixon's policy to withdraw the 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam over an extended period, thus turning the war over to Vietnam. It would bring and end to the war in 1973.
Nixon Doctrine During the Vietnam War, the Nixon Doctrine stated that the United States would honor its existing defense commitments, but in the future, other countries would have to fight their own wars without support of American troops.
My Lai massacre In 1968, American troops massacred women and children in the Vietnamese village of My Lai. This showed the troops’ frustration and deepened American people's disgust for the Vietnam War.
Kent State Killing In April of 1970, police fired into an angry crowd of college students at Kent State University. Four students were killed and many others were wounded. The students were protesting against Nixon ordering U.S. troops invasion of Cambodia without consulting Congress
Pentagon Papers These were papers that "leaked" to The New York Times about the blunders and deceptions of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations in Vietnam, especially the provoking of the 1964 North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. These papers were linked to Watergate in that the “credibility gap” made people distrust the government.
S.A.L.T (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) This was a 1972 pact that served to freeze the numbers of long-range nuclear missiles for five years. This treaty between Nixon (U.S.), China, and the Soviet Union served to slow the arms race that had been going on between these nations since World War II.
Watergate Scandal The Watergate Scandal hit Washington during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Members of the Committee to Re-Elect the President, CREEP, were involved in a burglary, and it was then linked to Nixon. The CREEP group had also gotten lots of money from unidentifiable places. Suspicion set in and Nixon was accused of getting illegal help in being reelected. Nixon tried to use the government to cover-up his involvement. Audio tapes proved Nixon’s involvement in the cover-up. Impeachment proceedings were started but Nixon resigned from his office in August of 1974.
C.R.E.E.P (Committee to Re-Elect the President) This committee was found to have been engaged in a "dirty tricks" campaign against the Democrats in 1972. They raised tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds using unethical means. They were involved in the infamous Watergate break-in.
War Powers Act This act was passed during the Vietnam War to restrict presidential powers dealing with war. It was passed over Nixon's veto, and required the president to report to Congress within 48 hours after committing troops to a foreign conflict or enlarging units in a foreign country. Congress wanted to never repeat its Tonkin Gulf Resolution blank check error.
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) OPEC was an oil cartel of Middle Eastern nations. They cut production in 1979, helping American inflation rise well above 13%. Oil prices eventually quadrupled in about a decade.
Iran Hostage Crisis This was called Carter's and America's “bed of nails.” In it, captured Americans languished in cruel captivity after Muslim radicals captured them. American nightly television news showed scenes of Iranians burning the American flag. Carter tried to apply economic sanctions and the pressure of world opinion against Iranians. Carter then called for rescue mission, but the rescue attempt failed. The stalemate with Iran went on through the rest of Carter's term, hurting his bid for reelection.
Guided Reading Questions
Sources of Stagnation
Know: Productivity, Inflation
1. Describe the economic problems faced by the United States in the 1970s.
The US economy grew stagnant in the 1970s. No year that decade had a growth rate that matched any year of the preceding two decades. More women and teens in the work force that typically had less skill and made less money than males, while deteriorating machinery and US regulations also limited growth. There was also a spiral of inflation.
Nixon "Vietnamizes" the War
Know: Liberal Establishment, Vietnamization, Silent Majority, Nattering Nabobs of Negativism, My Lai
2. What was President Nixon’s plan for getting the US out of Vietnam?
He used a policy called Vietnamization in which 540,000 American troops would be pulled out of the Southeast Asian nation and the war would be turned back over to the Vietnamese. The US would only supply arms and money but not American troops. It was called the Nixon Doctrine. The My Lai Massacre of 1968 occurred where American troops brutally massacred innocent women and children. Nixon also ordered an attack on Cambodia.
Cambodianizing the Vietnam War
Know: Cambodia, Kent State University, Twenty-sixth Amendment, Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg
3. What developments caused many people to become even more critical of the war in 1970 and 1971?
Riots occurred at Kent State University where the National Guard opened fire and killed 4 people and at Jackson State College. The US Senate repealed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution and the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Daniel Ellsberg, a former Pentagon official, these “Pentagon Papers” exposed the deceit used by the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, regarding Vietnam and people spoke of a “credibility gap” between what the government said and the reality.
Nixon's Detente with Beijing (Peking) and Moscow
Know: Henry Kissinger, Détente, ABM Treaty, SALT Treaty, MIRVs
4. What was the “China Card,” and how did Nixon use it?
Nixon sent national security advisor Dr. Henry A Kissinger to China to encourage better relations, a mission in which he succeeded, even though he used to be a big anti-Communist. Détente was also known as relaxed tensions. The ABM Treaty and the SAT also lessened tension, but the US also went ahead with its new MIRV missiles, which could overcome any defense by overwhelming it with a plethora of missiles, and the USSR did the same.
A New Team on the Supreme Bench
Know: Judicial Activism, Miranda, Engel v. Vitale, Warren Berger, Roe v. Wade
5. Why was Nixon unhappy with the Supreme Court?
Earl Warren headed many controversial decisions such as Griswold v. Connecticut and Gideon v. Wainwright. Nixon tried end liberalism and chose Warren E. Burger to replace Earl Warren and succeeded.
Nixon on the Home Front
Know: Aid the Families with Dependent Children, Reverse Discrimination, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Silent Spring, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, Southern Strategy
6 How conservative was President Nixon? Explain.
Nixon was quite conservative. He increased appropriations for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as AFDC, and created the SSI, which gave benefits to the indigent, aged, blind, and disabled, all while raising Social Security. Nixon’s Philadelphia Plan required construction trade unions working on the federal payroll to establish goals and timetables for Black employees. The EPA was also created to protect nature as well as OSHA. The Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act aimed to protect and preserve the environment and animals.
The Nixon Landslide of 1972
Know: George McGovern
7. How did the situation in Vietnam help Nixon win a landslide in the 1972 election?
The North Vietnamese attacked again and Nixon ordered massive retaliatory air attacks, which ground the Vietnamese offense to a stop when neither China nor Russia stepped in to help, thanks to Nixon’s shrewd diplomacy. Nixon’s bombing rage helped to regain 27,000 troops from Vietnam.
The Secret Bombing of Cambodia and the War Powers Act
Know: Pol Pot, War Powers Act
8. What did Cambodia have to do with the War Powers Act?
Cambodia was taken over by the cruel Pol Pot, who tried to commit genocide by killing over 2 million people over a span of a few years. The War Powers Act required the president to report all commitments of US troops to Congress within 48 hours and to set a 60 day limit on those activities. There was also New Isolationism that discouraged the use of US troops in other countries, but Nixon fended off all efforts at this.
Bombing North Vietnam to the Peace Table
9. "The shaky `peace' was in reality little more than a thinly disguised American retreat." Explain.
The shaky peace was in reality little more than a thinly disguised American retreat because Nixon was able to make it seem as if he was creating peace, but in reality he was just retreating to give Americans what they wanted.
The Arab Oil Embargo and the Energy Crisis
Know: OPEC
10. Explain the cause and effects of the Arab Oil Embargo.
Arab nations imposed an oil embargo, which strictly limited oil in the US and caused a fuel crisis. Speed limits were placed and other forms of energy were being pursued. OPEC lifted the embargo in 1974 and then quadrupled the price of oil be decade’s end.
Watergate and the Unmaking of a President
Know: Watergate, CREEP, Enemies List, Plumbers, John Dean, Executive Privilege, Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Saturday Night Massacre
11. Of what wrongdoing was the Nixon administration guilty?
Five men working for CREEP were caught breaking into the Watergate Hotel and planting some bugs in the room. Then, it was discovered that there were tapes that had recorded conversations that could solve all the mysteries. Nixon refused to hand the tapes. Spiro Agnew was forced to resign. And the 15th Amendment meant Gerald Ford becoming president. Nixon was then forced to resign due to scare of impeachment.
The First Unelected President
12. Did President do the right thing when he pardoned Nixon? Explain.
No, he issued a full pardon of Nixon, thus setting off accusations of a buddy deal. His popularity declined when he granted amnesty to draft dodgers allowing them to return to the US from wherever they had run to. Ford also signed the Helsinki accords, which recognized Soviet boundaries, guaranteed human rights, and eased the US Soviet situation.
Defeat in Vietnam
13. What was the cost (not in just money) of the Vietnam War?
South Vietnam fell to the communist North and American troops had to be evacuated, thus ending the US role in Vietnam. America seemed to have lost the war, and even worse, their respect.
Feminist Victories and Defeats
Know: Title IX, ERA, Roe v. Wade
15. Why did the Equal Rights Amendment fail?
It failed because Title IX prohibited sex discrimination in any federally funded education program. The Roe v. Wade case legalized abortion, arguing that ending a pregnancy was protected under a right of privacy. Even more ambitious was the Era to the Constitution. 38 state legislatures adopted the amendment, but 41 were necessary.
Makers of America: The Vietnamese 16. What difficulties did Vietnamese immigrants experience when they came to America?
South Vietnamese refugees were often seen as useless and there was hatred towards them. Not many Americans favored Vietnamese immigrants coming to America especially after the Vietnam War.
The Seventies in Black and White
Know: Desegregation, white flight, affirmative action, United States v. Wheeler
17. Explain the significance of the Bakke case.
In the Bakke case of 1978, Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that Allan Bakke should be admitted to UC Davis. The decision was ambiguous saying that admission preference based on any race was not allowed, but conversely that race should be factored in to the admission policy.
The Bicentennial Campaign and the Carter Victory
Know: Jimmy Carter
18. Why did Jimmy Carter win the presidency in 1976?
Jimmy Carter promised to never lie to the American public. He also had Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. He capitalized on being a Washington outsider and therefore untainted by the suppose corruption of DC. However, he was not a very good president.
Makers of America: The Feminists
19. Compare and contrast the first and second feminist waves.
1st Wave was feminism, it was lesbians fighting for rights since they didn't have husbands and did not fit into the system. 2nd Wave was Communism seeking to destroy the institutions and the foundation of Western society. They claimed The Suffragette Movement as their own to give validity to their corrupt motives.1st Wave only sought to get legal representation for lesbians and for women in general outside of marriage. They did not have a deep seated hatred of men, while the 2nd Wave Communists did. In the 1st Wave, the lesbians were the leaders, while in the 2nd Wave the Communists were in control and at odds with the lesbian separatists who were vying for power. The lesbian separatists took control of the movement in the 3rd wave while also adopting the goals of the Communists.
Carter's Humanitarian Diplomacy
Know: Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Camp David Accords
20. Describe Carter's foreign policy achievements.
Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin signed a peace accord at Camp David in September 1978. It was Carter’s greatest foreign policy success. Israel agreed to withdraw from territory gained in the 1967 war while Egypt would respect Israel’s territories.
Economic and Energy Woes
Know: Shah of Iran
21. How did Carter react to the renewed energy crisis?
Carter diagnosed America’s problems as stemming primarily from the nation’s costly dependence on foreign oil, which was true. He called for legislation to improve energy conservation, but the gas guzzling American people, who had already forgotten about the long gas liens of 1972, did not like these ideas. Carter retreated to Camp David and met with hundreds of leaders of various things to advice and counsel him and he chastised the American people for their obsession of material woes. He then fired 4 cabinet members soon after.
Foreign Affairs and the Iranian Imbroglio
Know: Leonid Brezhnev, SALT II, Ayatollah Khomeini, Afghanistan, Hostage Crisis
22. What foreign policy problems plagued the second half of Carter's presidency?
Carter signed the SALT II agreements with Brezhnev but the US Senate would not ratify it. He also proposed the Rapid Deployment Force that could respond to crises anywhere in the world in a quick manner. The American hostages languished in cruel captivity while night TV news reports showed Iranian mobs burning the American flag and spitting on effigies of Uncle Sam. At first Carter tried economic sanctions, but that didn’t work. Later, he tried a daring commando rescue mission, but that had to be aborted, and when two military aircraft collided, eight of the would-be rescuers were killed. It was a humiliating failure for the U.S. and for Carter especially. The stalemated hostage situation dragged on for most of Carter’s term, and was never released until January 20, 1981—the inauguration day of Ronald Reagan.
Spiro Agnew Agnew was the governor of Maryland who ran as vice president with Richard Nixon in 1968. He was known for his tough stands against dissidents and black militants. He strongly supported Nixon's desire to stay in Vietnam. He was forced to resign in October 1973 after having been accused of accepting bribes or "kickbacks" from Maryland contractors while governor and V.P. He was replaced by Gerald Ford.
Henry Kissinger Kissinger was Nixon's national security adviser. He and his family escaped Hitler's anti-Jewish persecutions. He was a former Harvard professor. In 1969, he’d begun meeting secretly on Nixon's behalf with North Vietnamese officials in Paris to negotiate an end to the war in Vietnam. He also helped ease relations with China.
Earl Warren Warren was the Chief Justice who discussed such taboo issues as black civil rights. He oversaw the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case which said that segregation in public schools was not equal. He conducted the investigation into Kennedy's assassination which accepted the ruling of the lone gunman. His court also addressed hot topics such as criminal rights, reapportionment, separation of church and state, and the right to privacy.
Warren Burger Burger was the Supreme Court justice during the Nixon administration. He was chosen by Nixon because of his strict interpretation of the Constitution. He presided over the highly controversial pro-abortion case Roe v. Wade in 1973.
George McGovern McGovern was a senator from South Dakota who ran for president in 1972 on the Democrat ticket. Hispromise was to pull the remaining American troops out of Vietnam in 90 days, which earned him the support of the anti-war “doves.” The working-class supported him, also. He lost however to Nixon
John Dean Dean testified against Nixon as well as other cabinet members in the Watergate hearings. His testimony helped lead to the removal of several White House officials and the resignation of Nixon. Before his testimony, he had been a White House lawyer.
Shah of Iran Pahlavi became Shah in 1941 with U.S. help, when the allies of WWII forced the abdication of his father. Communist and nationalist movements created unrest and tension during the early years of his reign. The Shah distributed royal lands to poverty-stricken farmers. He is known for both social and economic reform in Iran. With the abundance of oil-drinking machines, the Shah became a powerful world leader, and the main military power in the Middle East. Muslims and the Ayatollah forced the Shah and his family into exile in 1979, where he died in Cairo on July 27, 1980.
Aytollah Khomeini Khomeini was a radical Muslim holy man who sparked opposition and violence toward the United States in the Middle East. His rein sparked the taking of American hostages in Iraq.
Détente This was a period of relaxed tension between the communist powers of the Soviet Union and China. During this time the Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty as well as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) cut back nuclear weapons.
Vietnamization This was President Nixon's policy to withdraw the 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam over an extended period, thus turning the war over to Vietnam. It would bring and end to the war in 1973.
Nixon Doctrine During the Vietnam War, the Nixon Doctrine stated that the United States would honor its existing defense commitments, but in the future, other countries would have to fight their own wars without support of American troops.
My Lai massacre In 1968, American troops massacred women and children in the Vietnamese village of My Lai. This showed the troops’ frustration and deepened American people's disgust for the Vietnam War.
Kent State Killing In April of 1970, police fired into an angry crowd of college students at Kent State University. Four students were killed and many others were wounded. The students were protesting against Nixon ordering U.S. troops invasion of Cambodia without consulting Congress
Pentagon Papers These were papers that "leaked" to The New York Times about the blunders and deceptions of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations in Vietnam, especially the provoking of the 1964 North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. These papers were linked to Watergate in that the “credibility gap” made people distrust the government.
S.A.L.T (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) This was a 1972 pact that served to freeze the numbers of long-range nuclear missiles for five years. This treaty between Nixon (U.S.), China, and the Soviet Union served to slow the arms race that had been going on between these nations since World War II.
Watergate Scandal The Watergate Scandal hit Washington during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Members of the Committee to Re-Elect the President, CREEP, were involved in a burglary, and it was then linked to Nixon. The CREEP group had also gotten lots of money from unidentifiable places. Suspicion set in and Nixon was accused of getting illegal help in being reelected. Nixon tried to use the government to cover-up his involvement. Audio tapes proved Nixon’s involvement in the cover-up. Impeachment proceedings were started but Nixon resigned from his office in August of 1974.
C.R.E.E.P (Committee to Re-Elect the President) This committee was found to have been engaged in a "dirty tricks" campaign against the Democrats in 1972. They raised tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds using unethical means. They were involved in the infamous Watergate break-in.
War Powers Act This act was passed during the Vietnam War to restrict presidential powers dealing with war. It was passed over Nixon's veto, and required the president to report to Congress within 48 hours after committing troops to a foreign conflict or enlarging units in a foreign country. Congress wanted to never repeat its Tonkin Gulf Resolution blank check error.
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) OPEC was an oil cartel of Middle Eastern nations. They cut production in 1979, helping American inflation rise well above 13%. Oil prices eventually quadrupled in about a decade.
Iran Hostage Crisis This was called Carter's and America's “bed of nails.” In it, captured Americans languished in cruel captivity after Muslim radicals captured them. American nightly television news showed scenes of Iranians burning the American flag. Carter tried to apply economic sanctions and the pressure of world opinion against Iranians. Carter then called for rescue mission, but the rescue attempt failed. The stalemate with Iran went on through the rest of Carter's term, hurting his bid for reelection.
Guided Reading Questions
Sources of Stagnation
Know: Productivity, Inflation
1. Describe the economic problems faced by the United States in the 1970s.
The US economy grew stagnant in the 1970s. No year that decade had a growth rate that matched any year of the preceding two decades. More women and teens in the work force that typically had less skill and made less money than males, while deteriorating machinery and US regulations also limited growth. There was also a spiral of inflation.
Nixon "Vietnamizes" the War
Know: Liberal Establishment, Vietnamization, Silent Majority, Nattering Nabobs of Negativism, My Lai
2. What was President Nixon’s plan for getting the US out of Vietnam?
He used a policy called Vietnamization in which 540,000 American troops would be pulled out of the Southeast Asian nation and the war would be turned back over to the Vietnamese. The US would only supply arms and money but not American troops. It was called the Nixon Doctrine. The My Lai Massacre of 1968 occurred where American troops brutally massacred innocent women and children. Nixon also ordered an attack on Cambodia.
Cambodianizing the Vietnam War
Know: Cambodia, Kent State University, Twenty-sixth Amendment, Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg
3. What developments caused many people to become even more critical of the war in 1970 and 1971?
Riots occurred at Kent State University where the National Guard opened fire and killed 4 people and at Jackson State College. The US Senate repealed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution and the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Daniel Ellsberg, a former Pentagon official, these “Pentagon Papers” exposed the deceit used by the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, regarding Vietnam and people spoke of a “credibility gap” between what the government said and the reality.
Nixon's Detente with Beijing (Peking) and Moscow
Know: Henry Kissinger, Détente, ABM Treaty, SALT Treaty, MIRVs
4. What was the “China Card,” and how did Nixon use it?
Nixon sent national security advisor Dr. Henry A Kissinger to China to encourage better relations, a mission in which he succeeded, even though he used to be a big anti-Communist. Détente was also known as relaxed tensions. The ABM Treaty and the SAT also lessened tension, but the US also went ahead with its new MIRV missiles, which could overcome any defense by overwhelming it with a plethora of missiles, and the USSR did the same.
A New Team on the Supreme Bench
Know: Judicial Activism, Miranda, Engel v. Vitale, Warren Berger, Roe v. Wade
5. Why was Nixon unhappy with the Supreme Court?
Earl Warren headed many controversial decisions such as Griswold v. Connecticut and Gideon v. Wainwright. Nixon tried end liberalism and chose Warren E. Burger to replace Earl Warren and succeeded.
Nixon on the Home Front
Know: Aid the Families with Dependent Children, Reverse Discrimination, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Silent Spring, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, Southern Strategy
6 How conservative was President Nixon? Explain.
Nixon was quite conservative. He increased appropriations for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as AFDC, and created the SSI, which gave benefits to the indigent, aged, blind, and disabled, all while raising Social Security. Nixon’s Philadelphia Plan required construction trade unions working on the federal payroll to establish goals and timetables for Black employees. The EPA was also created to protect nature as well as OSHA. The Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act aimed to protect and preserve the environment and animals.
The Nixon Landslide of 1972
Know: George McGovern
7. How did the situation in Vietnam help Nixon win a landslide in the 1972 election?
The North Vietnamese attacked again and Nixon ordered massive retaliatory air attacks, which ground the Vietnamese offense to a stop when neither China nor Russia stepped in to help, thanks to Nixon’s shrewd diplomacy. Nixon’s bombing rage helped to regain 27,000 troops from Vietnam.
The Secret Bombing of Cambodia and the War Powers Act
Know: Pol Pot, War Powers Act
8. What did Cambodia have to do with the War Powers Act?
Cambodia was taken over by the cruel Pol Pot, who tried to commit genocide by killing over 2 million people over a span of a few years. The War Powers Act required the president to report all commitments of US troops to Congress within 48 hours and to set a 60 day limit on those activities. There was also New Isolationism that discouraged the use of US troops in other countries, but Nixon fended off all efforts at this.
Bombing North Vietnam to the Peace Table
9. "The shaky `peace' was in reality little more than a thinly disguised American retreat." Explain.
The shaky peace was in reality little more than a thinly disguised American retreat because Nixon was able to make it seem as if he was creating peace, but in reality he was just retreating to give Americans what they wanted.
The Arab Oil Embargo and the Energy Crisis
Know: OPEC
10. Explain the cause and effects of the Arab Oil Embargo.
Arab nations imposed an oil embargo, which strictly limited oil in the US and caused a fuel crisis. Speed limits were placed and other forms of energy were being pursued. OPEC lifted the embargo in 1974 and then quadrupled the price of oil be decade’s end.
Watergate and the Unmaking of a President
Know: Watergate, CREEP, Enemies List, Plumbers, John Dean, Executive Privilege, Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Saturday Night Massacre
11. Of what wrongdoing was the Nixon administration guilty?
Five men working for CREEP were caught breaking into the Watergate Hotel and planting some bugs in the room. Then, it was discovered that there were tapes that had recorded conversations that could solve all the mysteries. Nixon refused to hand the tapes. Spiro Agnew was forced to resign. And the 15th Amendment meant Gerald Ford becoming president. Nixon was then forced to resign due to scare of impeachment.
The First Unelected President
12. Did President do the right thing when he pardoned Nixon? Explain.
No, he issued a full pardon of Nixon, thus setting off accusations of a buddy deal. His popularity declined when he granted amnesty to draft dodgers allowing them to return to the US from wherever they had run to. Ford also signed the Helsinki accords, which recognized Soviet boundaries, guaranteed human rights, and eased the US Soviet situation.
Defeat in Vietnam
13. What was the cost (not in just money) of the Vietnam War?
South Vietnam fell to the communist North and American troops had to be evacuated, thus ending the US role in Vietnam. America seemed to have lost the war, and even worse, their respect.
Feminist Victories and Defeats
Know: Title IX, ERA, Roe v. Wade
15. Why did the Equal Rights Amendment fail?
It failed because Title IX prohibited sex discrimination in any federally funded education program. The Roe v. Wade case legalized abortion, arguing that ending a pregnancy was protected under a right of privacy. Even more ambitious was the Era to the Constitution. 38 state legislatures adopted the amendment, but 41 were necessary.
Makers of America: The Vietnamese 16. What difficulties did Vietnamese immigrants experience when they came to America?
South Vietnamese refugees were often seen as useless and there was hatred towards them. Not many Americans favored Vietnamese immigrants coming to America especially after the Vietnam War.
The Seventies in Black and White
Know: Desegregation, white flight, affirmative action, United States v. Wheeler
17. Explain the significance of the Bakke case.
In the Bakke case of 1978, Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that Allan Bakke should be admitted to UC Davis. The decision was ambiguous saying that admission preference based on any race was not allowed, but conversely that race should be factored in to the admission policy.
The Bicentennial Campaign and the Carter Victory
Know: Jimmy Carter
18. Why did Jimmy Carter win the presidency in 1976?
Jimmy Carter promised to never lie to the American public. He also had Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. He capitalized on being a Washington outsider and therefore untainted by the suppose corruption of DC. However, he was not a very good president.
Makers of America: The Feminists
19. Compare and contrast the first and second feminist waves.
1st Wave was feminism, it was lesbians fighting for rights since they didn't have husbands and did not fit into the system. 2nd Wave was Communism seeking to destroy the institutions and the foundation of Western society. They claimed The Suffragette Movement as their own to give validity to their corrupt motives.1st Wave only sought to get legal representation for lesbians and for women in general outside of marriage. They did not have a deep seated hatred of men, while the 2nd Wave Communists did. In the 1st Wave, the lesbians were the leaders, while in the 2nd Wave the Communists were in control and at odds with the lesbian separatists who were vying for power. The lesbian separatists took control of the movement in the 3rd wave while also adopting the goals of the Communists.
Carter's Humanitarian Diplomacy
Know: Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Camp David Accords
20. Describe Carter's foreign policy achievements.
Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin signed a peace accord at Camp David in September 1978. It was Carter’s greatest foreign policy success. Israel agreed to withdraw from territory gained in the 1967 war while Egypt would respect Israel’s territories.
Economic and Energy Woes
Know: Shah of Iran
21. How did Carter react to the renewed energy crisis?
Carter diagnosed America’s problems as stemming primarily from the nation’s costly dependence on foreign oil, which was true. He called for legislation to improve energy conservation, but the gas guzzling American people, who had already forgotten about the long gas liens of 1972, did not like these ideas. Carter retreated to Camp David and met with hundreds of leaders of various things to advice and counsel him and he chastised the American people for their obsession of material woes. He then fired 4 cabinet members soon after.
Foreign Affairs and the Iranian Imbroglio
Know: Leonid Brezhnev, SALT II, Ayatollah Khomeini, Afghanistan, Hostage Crisis
22. What foreign policy problems plagued the second half of Carter's presidency?
Carter signed the SALT II agreements with Brezhnev but the US Senate would not ratify it. He also proposed the Rapid Deployment Force that could respond to crises anywhere in the world in a quick manner. The American hostages languished in cruel captivity while night TV news reports showed Iranian mobs burning the American flag and spitting on effigies of Uncle Sam. At first Carter tried economic sanctions, but that didn’t work. Later, he tried a daring commando rescue mission, but that had to be aborted, and when two military aircraft collided, eight of the would-be rescuers were killed. It was a humiliating failure for the U.S. and for Carter especially. The stalemated hostage situation dragged on for most of Carter’s term, and was never released until January 20, 1981—the inauguration day of Ronald Reagan.