Chapter 31
A Crisis in Confidence
1968 to 1980
Page 1044
Section 1
Nixon and the Watergate Scandal
• Obj: Describe Richard Nixon’s attitude toward
“big” government
• Analyze Nixon’s southern strategy
• Explain the Watergate incident and its
consequences.
Nixon Targets Middle America
• Political comeback??
• Appealed to the silent majority in election of
1968
• Helped him win the support of “Middle
America”
• Idea of “New Federalism”
• However, gov’t still involved- OSHA, EPA,
Clean Air and Water Acts,
• Did get rid of EEOC as best he could
Economic Struggles
• Economy suffered under Nixon
• Stagflation??
• Causes:
– Gov’t spending
– Rising foreign competition
– Rising Oil Prices
• OPEC??? Started Embargo on Israel’s allies in
70’s
• Gas goes up 400%
Southern Strategy
• In ‘72, Nixon sought to steal south away from
Democrats
• Moved away from Civil Rights legislation
– Busing??
• Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell?
• Did support Affirmative Action??
• Success- won every state except Mass. First Rep
to take every southern state
• Election was a landslide
Watergate
• June 17th, 1972- five men break into Democrat
Headquarters, Watergate building Washington
D.C.
• The Washington- reports Bob Woodward and
Carl Bernstein- report that suspects have
connections to white house
• Receive tips from “Deep Throat”
• Nixon- “Whitehouse not involve”
• Media drops issue
B. Watergate Scandal
• Trial shows that Nixon administration spied and
harassed political opponents
• Nixon- some 200 liberals on “enemies list
• Illegally wiretapped reporters, Whitehouse staff,
politicians
• Plumbers- ex CIA hired to fix “leaks” in
administration
• Pentagon Papers- one of leaks- criticized
Vietnam war- officials new war not going wellpurposely misled the public
C. Election of 72
• Edmund Muskie- Nixon used plumbers to
discredit him- false rumors
• McGovern gets democratic nominationcampaign riddled with controversy
• Nixon- collected millions in campaign aidmuch was illegal contributions from
corporations
• Told- can buy votes
• Nixon wins in a landslide
D. Watergate unfolds
• 1973- James McCord- burglar- told court
plumbers were paid hush money by
Whitehouse
• Nixon tries to block investigation- executive
privilege, national security
• Sam Ervin of North Carolina led investigation“Is prez above the law”
• Found out Nixon taped all Whitehouse
conversations- Senate demanded tapes
E. Turmoil
• Vice prez- resigns- didn’t pay income taxes, accepted
bribes
• Nixon’s top advisors resign
• Prosecuting attorney Archibald Cox demands tapes
• Nixon asks Attorney General Richardson to fire Cox
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Refuses and resigns
• Deputy Attorney General also refused- resigns
• Solicitor General Robert Bork agrees and fired Cox
• Whole fiasco called the Saturday night Massacre
F. Calls for Impeachment
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Nixon- only paid 800 dollars a year in taxes
Nixon finally releases transcripts of tapes
Clearly edited, including 18 missing minutes
Proved prez ordered a coverup, over 400,000 to
make it go away
Nixon resigns
First prez in U.S. history to resign
Gerald Ford sworn in- pardoned Nixon
25th Amendment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFID6Qkwh
88 26:45
Lasting Impact
• U.S. people don’t trust government
• Election reforms on how much campaign
contributions can be given.
Section 2
The Ford and Carter Years
• Obj: evaluate the presidency of Gerald Ford
• Assess the domestic policies of Jimmy Carter
• Analyze how American society changed in the
1970’s
• A: Doubts in the office of the Prez
• After Vietnam and Watergate, Americans
don’t trust their gov’t
• Ford- former lineman for Michigan- Portrayed
average American
• Good qualities??
• Wanted to restore faith in office of Presz
• B. Nixon Pardoned
• September 1974- Ford Pardons Nixon
• Investigation wasn’t over- Ford wanted
Watergate out of the news
• Ford’s popularity dropped 71% to 50%
• Many Americans believed a deal had been
made
• Mid elections- Reps get slaughtered- lose
seats?
• D. Politics
• “Don’t Vote. It Only Encourages Them.
• Fair Campaign Practices Act: Passed to stop
individuals and Corporations from donating
millions
• 1974- only 38% vote in elections- all time low
• Ford nominates Nelson A. Rockefeller
• Grandson of John D. Rockefeller
• First time both Prez and Vice Prez not elected
• F. Foreign Affairs
• Mayaguez incident- 39 man crew of
Mayaguez seized off coast of Cambodia
• Prez sent in Marines to free- was a success
• Later learned crew was free before assault
began- 15 servicemen killed
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYWTeT2lXHQ
• Détente- support slipping- should not be
talking to Soviets
• Many believe Soviets just lulling West to
sleep while they make gains in 3rd world
• G. Stagflation Continues
• 1974- Inflation 13%, Unemployment 10%
• WIN- Whip Inflation Now- stop being so
wasteful
• Most Americans don’t buy in
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• H. Bicentennial
• July 4th 1976- 200 year anniversary
• Gave Americans a reason to celebrate
• A. Election of 1976
• Jimmy Carter- little known Politician from
Georgia
• Promised to bring integrity and honesty back
to Whitehouse
• Lacked experience, but appealed to average
American
• Helped that Republicans divided between
Ford and Reagan
• Christian Fundamentalist??
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B. Challenges for Prez
Carter’s inexperience evident
Brought many with him from Georgie
Appointed Bert Lance to Office of
Management and Budget- absolutely no
experience
• Inflation high, unemployment high
• Inflation rose to 18%
• Amnesty- political pardons to those who
avoided Vietnam war- very unpopular
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D. Energy Crisis
1979- OPEC raises gas prices 400%
prices from 35 cents to over a dollar
Inflation shot into double figures
Three Mile Island- nuclear power plant- valve
stuck- melt down possible- only partial
meltdown happened
• Ruined people’s confidence in Nuclear power
• E. Crisis of confidence
• Carter- Americans have lost confidence in
American way
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Murders of Kennedys, MLK,
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Lost war
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Presidential scandal
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Lost of value of dollar
• Americans lacked confidence in future
Culture Change
• Me Generation??
– Aspects??
• Reassertion of traditional values– Membership of churches goes up
– Televangelists??
Section 3
Foreign Policy Troubles
• Obj: Compare the policies of Gerald Ford and
Jimmy Carter toward the Soviet Union
• Discuss changing U.S. foreign policy in
developing worlds
• Identify the successes and failures of Carter’s
foreign policy in the Middle East
Ford Continues Nixon’s Policies
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Ford kept Henry Kissinger as Secretary of State
Continued Detent
Leonid Brezhnev??
Signed Helsinki Accords??
– Human rights
• Salt II
• Other issues
– Boat People
– Mayaguez incident
Carter Changes Course
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Under Carter, relations with Soviets cool
Soviets invade Afghanistan 1979
Salt II not ratified
Sanctions put on the Soviets
Boycott the 1980 summer Olympics in
Moscow
Relations in Developing World
• Carter- must only work with leaders who have
good human rights records
– Nicaragua- General Somoza and the Sardinistas??
• Tried to improve relations with Cuba
– Castro granted cubans rights to come to U.S.
– However, must take criminals too
• Carter signed treaties to give back Panama
Canal by 1999
– Not popular
Middle East
• Israel and Arab relations still bad
• No ME Arab country recognized Israel’s right
to exist
• Egypt’s leader Anwar Sadat visits Israel and
talk with Menachem Begin
• Camp David Accords: Leader of Egypt and
Israel meet at camp david- sign peace treaty
• Israel give back lands taken in 67- Egypt
recognized Israel’s right to exist
Iran Hostage Crisis
• Carter- toasted Reza Shah Pahlavi for stability of
Iran
• Iranians hate the Shah- Carter’s dog
• Used secret police to repress opposition
• Spent billions on himself while people starved
• January 1979- Shah forced into exile
• Islamic fundamentalist Ayatollah Khomeini took
control- return Iran to non-Western, traditional
way of life
• October 1979- Carter allows Shah to come to U.S.
for cancer treatments
• Infuriates Iran – demand the Shah be returned
• Nov 4th 1979- Islamic revolutionaries storm U.S.
embassy and take 66 Americans hostage
• Bound, gagged, put in dark rooms
• News casts begin every day with day “#” of
hostage situation
• Carter launches rescue mission
• Helicopters break down miles from Tehran- 8
killed- mission aborted
• Crisis ruins Carter presidency- Reagan wins in a
landslide in 1980
• January 20th 1981- Inauguration day- Last
hostages released- 444 days