Transcript Unit18

A Crisis in Confidence and
The Conservative Resurgence
U.S. History Unit #18
Chapters 31-32
Silent Majority / Stagflation

Silent Majority – Term used by Nixon to describe Americans who were
“non-shouters, non-demonstrators”, the men and women who “work in
America’s factories, run America’s businesses, serve in the Government,
provide most of the soldiers, and give life to the American dream.” Nixon
targeted these people in his campaign for President in 1968.

Stagflation – Term used by economists to describe the dual conditions of a
stagnating economy and inflation in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Stagflation
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

A group of mostly Arab countries that sells oil to other nations and
cooperates to regulate the price and supply of oil; In 1973 during war
between Israel and its Arab neighbors, OPEC stopped trading with Israel’s
allies, including the U.S. As a result, oil prices rose 400% in the U.S. as oil
shortages spread across the country, increasing stagflation.
Closure Question #1: How did Nixon respond to
the economic problems he faced as President?
(At least 1 sentence)

Nixon fought stagflation in a variety of ways.
Most dramatically, in August 1973, he placed
a 90-day freeze on all wages and prices. The
control worked for a short time, causing a
spurt of economic growth. However, price
controls do not work well in a free economy,
and the economy went into a tailspin in the
mid-1970s.
Southern Strategy / Affirmative Action

Southern Strategy – Nixon’s goal to make the Republican Party a powerful
force in the South; To win Southern voters Nixon nominated several
conservative southerners as judges in federal courts and spoke out against
the forced busing of students to integrate schools.

Affirmative Action – A policy that gives special consideration to women and
minorities in the fields of education and employment in order to make up for
past discrimination.
Affirmative Action
Closure Question #2: In the long run, how
successful was Richard Nixon’s southern
strategy? (At least 1 sentence)

By the 1972 election, Nixon enjoyed high approval ratings. Some of
this popularity was based on his trips to the Soviet Union and China.
Some was based on his domestic policies. Nixon ran a masterful
political campaign in 1972, positioning himself as a moderate. He
portrayed his opponents – George McGovern, an antiwar senator
from South Dakota, and Alabama governor George Wallace – as
extremists. (Wallace’s campaign was cut short when he was shot
and left paralyzed by a would-be assassin.) Nixon and his Vice
President, Spiro Agnew, successfully cast themselves as
spokespersons for the silent majority. On election day, Nixon won
almost 61% of the popular vote and nearly all of the electoral votes.
He became the first Republican presidential candidate to sweep the
entire South.
Watergate / 25th Amendment / Executive Privilege



Watergate – Scandal which culminated in the resignation of President
Richard Nixon in 1974; Nixon ordered members of his reelection committee
to break-in to the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel
in Washington D.C. in 1972 to install wireless listening devices. The
burglars were caught, leading to a 2 year investigation.
25th Amendment – Part of the U.S. Constitution which states that if the VicePresident resigns, the President must nominate a replacement. V.P. Spiro
Agnew resigned in the face of a corruption scandal in 1973, leading Nixon to
nominate Gerald Ford as his new V.P.
Executive Privilege – Principle that the President has the right to keep
certain information confidential; Nixon attempted to use this reasoning in
refusing to turn over taped recordings of his phone calls from the oval
office. In United States v. Nixon (1974) the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon
was required to turn over the tapes, which revealed Nixon’s involvement in
Watergate. Rather than face impeachment, Nixon resigned on August 8th,
1974.
Executive Privilege
Closure Question #3: Opinion polls taken before
and after Watergate showed a sharp drop in
people’s confidence in government. List two
other results of the scandal.



In pursuit of personal power, Richard Nixon damaged the reputation of the
presidency and shook the public’s confidence in government. Polls revealed that
from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, the percentage of Americans who believed
in the truth of government statements plummeted from 80% to 33%.
In the wake of Watergate, Congress enacted numerous reforms to try to restore
the public’s confidence in government and to prevent abuses of power in the
future. It established a procedure for naming an independent counsel to
investigate charges against the White House. The Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1974 sought to limit the amount of money that individuals could give candidates
in order to prevent the corruption of the political process.
Yet, the Watergate affair also demonstrated that the nation could weather such a
crisis. It showed the strength of the system of checks and balances. Both
Congress and the Supreme Court had successfully checked the power of the
President. According to Time magazine, Nixon’s resignation represented an
“extraordinary triumph of the American system.” Watergate demonstrated that no
person, not even a President, is above the law.
Closure Assignment #1

1.
2.
3.
Answer the following questions based on what you have
learned from Chapter 31, Section 1:
How did Nixon respond to the economic problems he
faced as President? (At least 1 sentence)
In the long run, how successful was Richard Nixon’s
southern strategy? (At least 1 sentence)
Opinion polls taken before and after Watergate showed
a sharp drop in people’s confidence in government. List
two other results of the scandal.
Closure Question #1: Should Gerald Ford have pardoned
Richard Nixon? Explain your answer in at least 1 sentence.
Gerald Ford / Pardoned

Gerald Ford – President from 1974 to 1977; A star football player at the
University of Michigan, a Naval cadet in WWII, and a 25-year congressman,
Ford was chosen by Nixon as V.P. in 1973, becoming the only President
who was never elected as either V.P. or President.

Pardoned – Officially forgiven; Shortly after becoming President, Ford
pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as
President. This decision led some to believe that Ford had made a secret
deal with Nixon to become President, leading his popularity to decline
dramatically.
Jimmy Carter /
Christian Fundamentalists

Jimmy Carter – Democratic President from 1977 to 1981; A one-time
governor of Georgia, Carter was viewed as an honest Washington outsider
with a strong Christian background in the election of 1976.

Christian Fundamentalists – People who believe in a strict, literal
interpretation of the Bible as the foundation of the Christian faith; Carter
won the support of this group in 1976, which has become increasingly
important in American politics.
Closure Question #2: What arguments would you expect people to give
for and against President Carter’s decision to grant amnesty to Americans
who had evaded the draft? (At least 2 sentences)
Amnesty / Televangelists

Amnesty – Political Pardons; One day after taking office, President Carter
granted amnesty to all Americans who had evaded the draft during the
Vietnam War. Carter hoped that this action would reunify the country after
years of protest, however his decision brought fiery attacks from many
Conservative Americans.

Televangelists – Christian ministers who preach on television; During the
1970s televangelists, such as Jerry Falwell, attracted millions of American
viewers.
Closure Question #3: How do you think
Watergate affected social trends in the 1970s?
(At least 1 sentence)



Social and cultural trends that had begun in the 1950s and 1960s continued
unabated in the 1970s. As a result, by the end of the decade, the United States was
a very different society from the one it had been a generation earlier. These
differences gave rise to an ongoing debate about the nation’s values.
During the 1960s, radicals had challenged many of society’s traditional values.
They questioned restrictions on premarital sex and drug use. They sported casual
clothing and long hairstyles that many of their parents’ generation found improper.
Yet the counterculture remained a relatively isolated phenomenon during the
1960s. By the end of the 1970s, in contrast, these behaviors had become more
common. Nationwide, the divorce rate had more than doubled between 1965 and
1979, and twice as many children were born out of wedlock. To some Americans,
the new ways were a sign of troubled times.
Some critics called the 1970s the “me decade” because many Americans appeared
to be absorbed with improving themselves. This trend was reflected in the rise of
movements like Transcendental Meditation (TM), a practice based in Eastern
religious ideas. Those who practiced TM sought to find inner relaxation and vitality.
Closure Assignment #2

1.
2.
3.
Answer the following questions based on what you have
learned from Chapter 31, Section 2:
Should Gerald Ford have pardoned Richard Nixon? Explain
your answer in at least 1 sentence.
What arguments would you expect people to give for and
against President Carter’s decision to grant amnesty to
Americans who had evaded the draft? (At least 2 sentences)
How do you think Watergate affected social trends in the
1970s? (At least 1 sentence)
Helsinki Accords / Human Rights / Boat People

Helsinki Accords – Set of agreements endorsed in 1974 by President Gerald
Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev; The documents supported human
rights (basic rights every human being is entitled to have) for all European
nations.

Boat People – Over 1 million Vietnamese who, following the collapse of South
Vietnam to Communist North Vietnam, took to the sea in rickety, wooden
boats. Many of these people were rescued and came to the United States and
Canada.
SALT II / Sanctions / Developing World

SALT II – American and Soviet agreement in the 1970s in which the 2 sides
agreed to limit nuclear arms production.

Sanctions – Penalties; Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979,
President Carter responded by imposing sanctions, including a U.S. boycott
of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow & stopping grain sales to the
U.S.S.R.

Developing World – The poor nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin-America;
President Carter broke with the previous belief that the developing world was
a stage for the Cold War, instead believing that U.S. relations with foreign
countries should be based on how each country treats its citizens.
Camp David Accords / Ayatollah Khomeini

Camp David Accords – Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt which was
facilitated by President Carter in 1977. For his role in the negotiations, Carter
won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ayatollah Khomeini – Fundamentalist Islamic Clerk who, in 1979, led a revolt
to overthrow the Shah (Emperor) of Iran who had been supported by the
United States. The Khomeini government held the U.S. Embassy and the 52
Americans inside hostage for over a year. President Carter’s inability to free
the hostages combined with continuing economic problems turned American
public opinion against him.
Liberal / Conservative

Liberal – Politicians who support government intervention to help the needy
and “fix” society’s problems.

Conservative – Politicians who support allowing the free market, private
organizations, and individuals to deal with social issues.
Review Question #1
Would
Sarah Palin
be considered a
Liberal or a
Conservative?
Liberalism
The New Right

A coalition of several different groups with varying ideals and goals that united
to form a resurgent conservative movement in the 1970s and 1980s.
Review Question #2
Name
two of the
groups that made
up “The New
Right”.
Unfunded Mandates

Programs required but not paid for by the federal government, such as the
Clean Air Act and the Federal requirement that all American emergency rooms
accept and stabilize any patient, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
Review Question #3
Which
political party
was blamed for
establishing most of
the government’s
unfunded mandates?
Unfunded Mandates
Moral Majority

Political organization founded by Reverend Jerry Falwell in 1979 which worked
to fulfill religious goals, registering millions of new voters in the 1980s who
overwhelmingly supported Republican candidates. The Moral Majority
opposed the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion, and condemned
the Equal Rights Amendment and homosexuality.
Review Question #4
What
is the name
of the minister
who founded the
Moral Majority?
Closure Question #3: Why did Americans elect Ronald Reagan to the
presidency in 1980? (At least 1 sentence)
Ronald Reagan

A movie actor and General Electric spokesperson, Reagan entered politics as a
conservative Republican in the 1960s. After serving two terms as governor of
California, Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980 and served as
President from 1981 to 1989. Reagan’s 3 key goals were to reduce the size of
government, strengthen the military, and support traditional values.
Review Question #5
 Before
entering politics,
Ronald Reagan worked
as a spokesman for
what major American
company?
Closure Assignment #3

1.
2.
3.
Answer the following questions based on what you
have learned from Chapter 32, Section 1:
Describe one major difference between liberals
and conservatives in the early 1980s. (At least 1
sentence)
How did the Moral Majority help strengthen the
Republican Party? (At least 1 sentence)
Why did Americans elect Ronald Reagan to the
presidency in 1980? (At least 1 sentence)
Supply-Side Economics / Deregulation

Supply-Side Economics – Also known as Reaganomics; Economic theory
based on the assumption that if taxes are reduced, people will work more and
have more money to spend, causing the economy to grow.

Deregulation – The removal of government control over industry; A key feature
of Reaganomics, during the 1980s the Reagan administration cut funding to
agencies that oversaw American businesses.

Review Question #6
What
is another
name for supplyside economics?
Budget Deficit / National Debt

Budget Deficit – The shortfall between the amount of money spent and the
amount taken in by the government; Increased defense spending during the
Reagan administration nearly tripled the annual budget deficit.

National Debt – The amount of money the federal government owes to owners
of government bonds. By 1986, the national debt rose to $2.5 trillion.
Review Question #7
In
1986, what was
the amount of the
national debt?
National Debt
Savings and Loan Crisis

(1989) About 1,000 Savings and Loan banks failed because of fraudulent
behavior and risky loans. Critics blamed Reagan’s deregulation policies for
encouraging the banks to invest in riskier propositions. To prevent a broader
panic, the federal government spent over $200 billion to bail out the bank’s
depositors.
Review Question #8
 What
did the U.S.
government do to
prevent a further panic
following the Savings
and Loan Crisis?
Sandra Day O’Connor

Nominated to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor was the
first female Justice in U.S. history. A native Arizonan and moderate
conservative, O’Connor served in the Court until 2005.
Review Question #9
 Besides
being the first
female judge on the
supreme court, Sandra
Day O’Connor is also the
first supreme court judge
from what state?
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

The last stage of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which attacks the
immune system of its victims and has no known cure. AIDS first appeared in
the U.S. in 1981, spreading mainly among homosexual men and drug users. By
1994, AIDS had killed more than 250,000 Americans.
Review Question #10
 In
the early 1980s, what
is one of the two groups
of Americans that were
most at risk for
becoming infected with
the HIV virus?
Closure Assignment #4

1.
2.
3.
Answer the following questions based on what you
have learned from Chapter 32, Section 2:
In what ways did Reagan try to fulfill the goal of less
government involvement in the economy? (At least 1
sentence)
How did Reagan strengthen the conservative cause?
(At least 1 sentence)
How did Reagan address problems with HIV/AIDS?
(At least 1 sentence)
Strategic Defense Initiative

Defense program proposed by Reagan in which land- and space-based lasers
would destroy any missiles aimed at the United States before they could reach
their targets. Critics dubbed the program “Star Wars”, claiming that it was
unrealistic.
Review Question #11
What
name did critics
of the strategic
defense initiative give
to the program?
Contras

Anticommunist counterrevolutionaries in Nicaragua who, during the 1980s,
were funded by the Reagan administration in their fight against the
Sandinistas, a Communist revolutionary force. Under Reagan, the U.S.
supported similar groups in Afghanistan and El Salvador and sent U.S. troops
to prevent a communist takeover in Grenada.
Review Question #12
 What
controversial antiCommunist fighter did
the United States
support in Afghanistan
during the 1980s?
Mikhail Gorbachev / Glasnost / Perestroika

Mikhail Gorbachev – President of the Soviet Union from 1985 to its downfall in
1991; Gorbachev reformed the Soviet economy and foreign policy, decreasing
Cold War tensions by decreasing the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan
and welcoming diplomatic relations with Reagan and the United States.

Glasnost – Russian for “New Openness”; Gorbachev met with Reagan 4 times
from 1985 to 1989, visiting sites in both countries “like old friends”. Both sides
agreed to reduce nuclear arms production, and Gorbachev gradually allowed
greater freedoms of speech and press within the Soviet Union.

Perestroika – “Restructuring”; Gorbachev guided the Soviet Union’s move
away from a socialist economy, adopting a model similar to the Chinese in
permitting businesses to be owned privately, not just by the government.
Review Question #13
 Through
“perestroika”,
Gorbachev may have
hoped to model the
Soviet economy after
that of what other
communist country?
Mikhail Gorbachev / Glasnost /
Perestroika
Iran-Contra Scandal

(1985) The Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran in exchange for Iran’s
promise to pressure terrorist groups in Lebanon to release American hostages
there, contradicting Reagan’s promise to refuse to negotiate with terrorists.
The money from the sale was then used to fund the Contras in Nicaragua,
despite a Congressional band on funding the Contras that was signed in 1983.
News of these acts was leaked in 1986, leading to charges filed against some
of Reagan’s aides, though Reagan himself was never accused of wrongdoing.
Review Question #14
 The
United States sold
weapons to Iran in exchange
for the promise that Iran
would put pressure to
release American hostages
in what other Middle-Eastern
country?
Closure Assignment #5
Answer the following questions based on what you
have learned from Chapter 32, Section 3:
1. How did Reagan’s foreign policy differ from that of
Carter? (At least 1 sentence)
2. During his first term, Reagan called the Soviet Union
an “evil empire,” but in his second term he
developed a working relationship with Gorbachev.
What accounts for his change in strategy? (At least 1
sentence)
3. Why did Reagan order an air raid on Libya? (At least
1 sentence)

George H.W. Bush

Reagan’s Vice-President and 40th President of the United States from 1989
to 1993; A Yale graduate, WWII Veteran, and former director of the CIA,
Bush continued Reagan’s conservative economic policies while continuing
to strengthen the U.S. military. Despite high public approval for his handling
of foreign affairs, Bush’s popularity decreased due to an economic
downturn in 1991 and 1992 and his handling of racial violence in America’s
major cities.
Review Question #15
Before
entering
politics, George H.W.
Bush served as
director of what
government agency?
Manuel Noriega

Dictator of Panama and world-renowned drug lord who, in
1989, was overthrown and arrested by a force of 12,000
U.S. troops. Noriega was convicted on charges of drug
trafficking and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Review Question #16
Manuel
Noriega
was put on trial for
drug trafficking in
what country?
Tiananmen Square

Located in downtown Beijing, China, Tiananmen Square was the site of
pro-democratic protests by Chinese students in the Spring of 1989. On
June 4th, Chinese tanks rolled into the square, killed hundreds of
protesters, and imprisoned thousands of prodemocracy activists.
Review Question #17
Tiananmen
Square
is located in the
heart of what major
Chinese city?
Nelson Mandela / Apartheid / Divested

Apartheid – The system of racial segregation in South Africa which
separated blacks and whites until the 1990s.

Nelson Mandela – A leader of the anti-Apartheid movement during the 1950s
and 1960s, Mandela was imprisoned from 1962 until 1990. Increasing
pressure from foreign powers, including the United States and President
Bush, led to Mandela’s release from prison. In free democratic elections in
1994, Mandela was elected President of South Africa.

Divested – Withdrawing investment; Responding to South African apartheid
in the 1980s, American businesses divested their holdings in South Africa.
Review Question #18
Nelson
Mandela was
the first black African
elected president of
what country?
Saddam Hussein

Dictator of Iraq from 1979 to 2003; In the 1980s the United States supported
Saddam in the Iraq-Iran War. However, following his decision to invade Kuwait
in August 1990, the members of the United Nations formed a joint coalition to
remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Review Question #19
 International
opposition to
Saddam Hussein and the
Iraqi military followed after
their invasion of what
small Middle Eastern
country?
Operation Desert Storm

Name given to the American-led attack on Iraqi forces in Kuwait in 1991. Led
by Generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell, the Iraqi army was driven
from Kuwait in less than 6 weeks. Iraqi casualties totaled near 25,000, while the
United States lost only 148. A UN cease-fire signed on February 28th ended the
fighting, and Saddam was allowed to maintain control of Iraq.
Review Question #20
For
how much time
was the United States
military involved in
Operation Desert
Storm?
Closure Assignment #6

1.
2.
3.
Answer the following questions based on what you
have learned from Chapter 32, Section 4:
Why did President Bush respond differently to the
crisis in Somalia than he did to the crisis in China?
(At least 1 sentence)
How was the Persian Gulf War fought differently
from the Vietnam War? (At least 1 sentence)
Why did the U.S. led coalition decide not to invade
Baghdad or try to oust Hussein after driving Iraq out
of Kuwait? (At least 1 sentence)