369 AP US HISTORY
AMERICA: PAST AND PRESENT
EIGHTH EDITION
CHAPTER 31—A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE: 1969-80
LEARNING TARGETS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Explain Nixon’s first-term goals and accomplishments in domestic affairs
Discuss the objectives of Nixon’s foreign policy and his strategy for ending the Vietnam War
Account for the overwhelming reelection of Nixon as president in 1972
Explain the causes and the role played by President Nixon in the Watergate Scandal and its impact on the
American political system
Describe the causes of the energy crisis, as well as its impact on the American economy and political scene
Compare and contrast the approaches taken by President Ford and Carter to correct America’s economic problems
Explain the factors contributing Jimmy Carter’s victory over Gerald Ford in the election of 1976
Analyze Carter’s successes and failures in dealing with foreign affairs
Account for the public disenchantment with Carter that resulted in his one-term presidency and the reasons for a
conservative resurgence and the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980
Discuss Reagan’s first-term approach to the Soviet Union, the arms race and attempts at peacemaking during his
second term
Analyze the success of Reagan’s foreign policies in the Middle East and Central America.
Explain the events of the Iran Contra affair
AP Guidelines
Politics and Economics at the End of the Twentieth
Century
The election of 1968 and the “Silent Majority”
Nixon’s challenges: Vietnam, China, and Watergate
Changes in the American economy: the energy crisis,
deindustrialization, and the
service economy
The New Right and the Reagan revolution
End of the Cold War
TERMS/PEOPLE TO KNOW
Détente:
Vietnamization (1972)
Kent State (1970)
Peace with Honor/ (1973)
Election of 1972
Watergate (1972)
Yom Kippur (1973)
Arab Oil Embargo / OPEC: (1973)
NOW (1972)
STOP ERA, Phyllis Schlafly
ERA (1972)
Equal Pay Act
Roe vs. Wade (1973)
Stonewall Riot, Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activist Alliance
(1969)
Society and Culture at the End of the Twentieth Century
Demographic changes: surge of immigration after 1965,
Sunbelt migration, and the
graying of America
Revolutions in biotechnology, mass communication, and
computers
Politics in a multicultural society
The United States in the Post–Cold War World
Globalization and the American economy
Unilateralism vs. multilateralism in foreign policy
Domestic and foreign terrorism
Environmental issues in a global context
ACT UP, National Coming Out Day (1986)
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL, (1992)
Defense of Marriage Act (1996)
Ford’s Unconditional Pardon (1974)
Campaign Issues / Election of 1976
War Powers Act (1973)
Fall of Saigon, Vietnam (1975)
Panama Canal Treaties (1977)
Camp David Accords (1978)
Iranian Revolution (1979)
Carter Doctrine (1980)
Afghanistan (1979)
SALT II
CHAPTER 31 ID’s
1972
Vietnamization
Part of Nixon’s campaign in the election of 1968 was ending the Vietnam War. He didn’t say how he
was going to accomplish this task, but he later developed a three part plan. He was going to renew bombing of
North Vietnam, take a hard line in negotiations with Hanoi, and gradually withdraw American troops and let the
South Vietnamese fight on their own. The last part of the plan was called Vietnamization. By 1972, U.S.
troops in Vietnam had dropped by over 500,000.
1972
Kent State
As Vietnamization went ahead at a decent pace, Nixon had problems with his idea of increasing
bombing. In April 1970, Nixon ordered air and ground strikes into Cambodia, a neutral nation bordering
Vietnam. The strikes relieved pressure on South Vietnamese forces, but they caused a wave of antiwar protests
at home. One protest at Kent State caught the attention of the nation. Rioters fire-bombed an ROTC building,
and the national guard was called out to maintain order. The students harassed the troops who opened fire and
killed four innocent students. The public blamed the students rather than the guardsmen for the shooting at
Kent State.
1973
Peace with honor/Truce ending Vietnam
The second part of Nixon’s plan that involved taking a hard line in negotiation with Hanoi was
successful. Starting in 1969, Henry Kissinger held a series of secret meetings with North Vietnam’s foreign
minister, Le Duc Tho and was close to an agreement in 1972. The South Vietnamese blocked a settlement
before the 1972 elections and when the North tried to make changes, Nixon ordered a series of bombings on
Hanoi. The truce signed on January 27, 1973, gave the U.S. back all its prisoners in return for leaving South
Vietnam for 60 days. The North Vietnamese were able to keep their troops.
1972
Election of 1972
During his presidency, Nixon had become very paranoid. He thought that everyone was out to get him,
and he started many schemes to end press leaks, and keep the White House enshrouded in mystery. He was
very scared that he wouldn’t be reelected. He formed the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP), while
his supporters harassed Democratic candidates and spied on the Democratic national headquarters in the
Watergate complex in Washington. Nixon really didn’t have to use these illegal methods to win. He ran
against Democrat George McGovern because George Wallace was shot and paralyzed, and Democrat Edmund
Muskie made a fool of himself. Nixon let McGovern talk himself into a hole because he appeared left-wing
extremist. Nixon ran on his success in ending Vietnam and the improving economy. Nixon won.
1972
Watergate
cover-up. He ordered the FBI to keep the CIA off the case. He told his aides to lie under oath. The cover-up
worked, and neither Nixon nor his closest advisors were implicated. The judge in the Watergate case sentenced
the two burglars to long prison sentences. James McCord cracked and revealed that he was paid by the White
House. Nixon fired many people after the Senate appointed a special committee to investigate the case.
Finally, the Supreme Court told him to reveal tapes that would prove his involvement, and the House gave him
three articles of impeachment. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.
1973
Yom Kippur War
After Israel was created in 1968, all the surrounding Arab countries decided to destroy the fledgling
country. First, in 1967, they all attacked in the Six Day War, but Israel destroyed them. In 1973, Egypt and
Syria once again attacked on the Jewish day of atonement, Yom Kippur. Kissinger wanted to use the war to
give the U.S. a less pro-Israel stance in the Middle East. He hoped that the war would end indecisively and that
the U.S. could act as mediator between the two sides. That wasn’t the case. At first, the Arab nations pushed
Israel back causing the U.S. to give Israel more arms. Later, Israel counterattacked, and the U.S. stepped in to
arrange a cease-fire. The U.S. and the Soviet Union tried to mediate a peace, but it almost didn’t work. The
U.S. put the world on nuclear alert, so the other countries knew we were serious. Finally, the fighting ended,
and the Middle East established an uneasy truce.
1973
Arab oil embargo/OPEC
After the Yom Kippur War, the Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
announced a 5% cut in oil production, with additional cuts of 5% each month until the Israelis gave up the
Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. Nixon gave more aid to Israel, and the next
day Saudi Arabia cut off oil shipments to the U.S. and Netherlands. As a result of the embargo, there was a
worldwide shortage of oil, and oil prices dramatically rose.
1963-66
Betty Friedan/Feminine Mystique/
National Organization for Women (NOW)/
ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)
The woman’s situation had not improved since the 1920’s. There was still the double standard in sex.
Women were still expected to stay home and take care of the family. They were not given equal pay for equal
work. In 1963, Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique and listed the problems that women had in the
1960’s. She said that women lost their self-esteem and sense of identity by staying home all day. Friedan
organized the National Organization of Women in 1966 to help women achieve more equality. NOW was
opposed by more radical women’s groups that did not help the cause. In 1972, Congress approved the Equal
Rights Amendment introduced in 1923, so the states could vote on it. However, the amendment fell three states
short of ratification by 1982, and therefore never became part of the Constitution.
1960’s/1980’s/present
Phyllis Schlafly/
STOP ERA
1972
Equal Pay Act
During the 1970’s more and more women entered the workforce. Although there were more women
working, they were still not being paid as much as men. The Equal Pay Act, passed in 1972, help alleviate that.
Also, a number of lawsuits helped earn some women equal pay for equal work. Still, women were not being
paid as much as men and today (2003), for every $1.00 earned by men, women average only 73¢ (but 90¢ for
younger women).
1972-1982
Equal Rights Amendment
After Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, women fought to have the states ratify
it. They came three states short of getting it ratified. The people who led the fight against the ERA were
working class women who thought that they needed laws protecting them. Phyllis Schlafly led the fight against
the ERA. NOW got Congress to extend the ratification deadline three years, but in 1982, the amendment was
still three states short, so it died.
1973
Roe vs. Wade
This Supreme Court precedent recognized the right of women to have control over their own body by
legalizing a medical procedure referred to as abortion. The court established this guarantee under “a right to
privacy” which the majority of the justices said is suggested by the 9th and 14th Amendments to the
Constitution. Beginning with the Hyde Amendment (depriving poor women of the money for an abortion)
access to abortions has been seriously threatened over the last 30 years.
Ford’s unconditional pardon
When Ford became president after Nixon’s resignation, he seemed to restore public confidence in the
office. That ended in 1974 when he granted Nixon a full, free and absolute pardon for all federal crimes that he
committed while he was in office. People accused Ford of making a deal with Nixon while Ford was only
trying to end the bitterness over Watergate.
1974
1976
Election of 1976
After Ford’s pardon of Nixon and some mishaps in Congress, whoever got the Democratic nomination
was going to be in a good position to become president. A dark horse, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter,
eventually won the nomination. He won because he portrayed himself as an outsider from politics. He was a
commoner, like the voters who would bring a fresh approach to government. Ford ran for the Republicans.
Carter looked like he would win by a landslide, but he began to hedge on the issues. Eventually, Carter won by
a narrow margin. The election turned on class and racial factor.
1973
War Powers Act
After the Vietnamese War, Americans started to believe in isolationism as a good foreign policy. After
Watergate, they lost faith in the president to conduct foreign policy. One example of this new thought was the
War Power Act that Congress passed in 1973. The act said that the president had consult with Congress before
sending any troops overseas.
1975
Fall of Saigon, Vietnam
As American involvement in Vietnam decreased, the North Vietnamese took advantage of it. When a
North Vietnamese offensive was effective, Ford couldn’t get Congress to give more money to the South to
defend themselves. In 1975, North Vietnamese eventually took over Saigon, and the Americans concentrated
on evacuating loyal South Vietnamese. The U.S. lost the Vietnam War.
1977
Panama Canal Treaties
President Carter had to deal with a growing sense of nationalism in Central America where the poor
countries were breaking out of the Roosevelt Corollary. Panama had been upset over U.S. ownership of the
Panama Canal since LBJ was president. Carter finished talks over the canal and signed two treaties. One treaty
gave sovereignty of the 500 square-mile canal zone over Panama. The other treaty set up gradual Panamanian
responsibility for operating the canal, with appropriate safeguards for its use and defense by the U.S. The
problem was getting the Senate to ratify the treaties which it did through the support of Ford and Kissinger.
1978
Camp David Accords
President Carter wanted to continue Kissinger’s work with the Middle East. He wanted to bring peace
to the highly volatile area. He started by trying to bring the Soviets to the peace table to make a big power
settlement. That was interrupted when Egypt’s Anwar Sadat went to Israel to make peace with Menachem
Begin. In 1978, Carter invited both leaders to Camp David and met with them for 13 days. They ended up with
the Camp David accords. The accords weren’t really a peace treaty. They were more of a framework for
negotiations, but it was a step towards peace.
1979
Iranian Revolution
Although Carter tried to bring about peace in the Middle East, his efforts all went to waste because of
the Iranian Revolution. The U.S. supported the Shah of Iran and depended upon his military strength to defend
the Persian Gulf. Carter ignored or didn’t notice signs of unrest in Iran until it was too late. Ayatollah
Khomeini led a fundamentalist Moslem revolt against the Shah. When the Shah left the country, Carter tried to
work with a moderate regime that was overthrown by Moslem militants. Carter allowed the Shah to come to
the U.S. Because of that, militant students took 58 Americans prisoner from the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The
U.S. was unable to do anything about the revolt or the hostages.
1980
Carter Doctrine
Trying to get the Iranians to give up the American prisoners, Carter issued the Carter Doctrine. He said
that the U.S. would fight to protect oil reserves in the Persian Gulf. Carter didn’t have the means to back up his
words.
1979
Iranian Revolution
Although Carter tried to bring about peace in the Middle East, his efforts all went to waste because of
the Iranian Revolution. The U.S. supported the Shah of Iran and depended upon his military strength to defend
the Persian Gulf. Carter ignored or didn’t notice signs of unrest in Iran until it was too late. Ayatollah
Khomeini led a fundamentalist Moslem revolt against the Shah. When the Shah left the country, Carter tried to
work with a moderate regime that was overthrown by Moslem militants. Carter allowed the Shah to come to
the U.S. Because of that, militant students took 58 Americans prisoner from the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The
U.S. was unable to do anything about the revolt or the hostages.
1979
Afghanistan
The complete end of détente came when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979. The
U.S.S.R. only did it to ensure a friendly regime, but to the rest of the world it looked as if the Soviet Union was
looking to go into the Middle East and Indian Ocean. Carter reacted by banning the sale of all high technology
to the Soviet Union, embargoed the export of grain, resumed draft registration, and boycotted the 1980 Moscow
Olympics.