Nixon and the ’70s
By Brad Harris,
Grand Prairie HS
The Election of 1968
The 1968 presidential election marked a shift to the
right in American politics.
The 1960's began as an era of optimism but the
events of the decade led to public trust in the
government and produced a backlash against
liberal movements and the Democratic party.
The Election of 1968
Nixon campaigned as a champion of the
“Silent Majority"
The “Silent Majority” were Americans who
paid taxes, did not demonstrate, and desired
a restoration of "law and order.”
The Southern Strategy
An important reason for Nixon’s victory was the
support he received in the South
The effort to sway southern voters to the
Republicans was known as the Southern Strategy
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Nixon gained the South’s support by promising several things:
To oppose court-ordered busing of students to integrate schools
To choose a vice-presidential candidate who was from the South
To only appoint conservatives to federal courts
To appoint a Southerner to the Supreme Court
Since the Election of 1968, the South has been
a Republican stronghold in elections
New Federalism
 Nixon’s domestic policies became known as
“New Federalism”
 It called for eliminating several federal
programs and giving more control to state and
local governments
 Nixon claimed that this would give the
government agencies that were the closest to
the people the opportunity to address problems
 Although “revenue sharing” was suppose to give
state and local governments more power, the
federal government became more powerful
Crisis in the Middle East
Tensions in the Middle
East escalated in 1956
when Egypt nationalized
the Suez Canal
This led to a war over control of the canal
between Egypt, Israel, the UK and France
Middle East Conflicts
Tensions in the Middle East
escalated during the Nixon
administration
Fighting broke out on two
occasions between Israel
and Arab countries
The Six-Day War
The Six-Day War was fought
in 1967 between Israel, Egypt,
Jordan and Syria over control
of land in the Middle East
The conflict led to Israel taking
control over the Sinai Peninsula,
the Golan Heights, the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip
Yom Kippur War
In 1973, Egypt and Syria
retaliated against Israel in
a conflict known as the
Yom Kippur War
In this conflict, Egypt regained
control of the Sinai Peninsula
and Syria reclaimed parts of
the Golan Heights
U.S.-Israeli alliance
The conflicts in the Middle
East strengthened the ties
between the U.S. and Israel
These ties have led to
tensions between the U.S.
and some Arab nations
Vietnam War
The biggest foreign policy issues Nixon
had to deal with during his presidency
was dealing with the Vietnam War
Nixon and Foreign Affairs
President Nixon was
hailed for his foreign
affairs savvy
One key reason for this
was his Secretary of
State, Henry Kissinger
Détente with Russia, China
One of Nixon’s foreign
affairs goals was friendlier
relations with China and the
Soviet Union
Nixon and Kissinger
developed a foreign affairs
policy known as détente,
which means cooperation
President Nixon tours the Great Wall of China
Mao Tse-tung greets Nixon
Nixon opened U.S. relations with China and
became the first U.S. president to visit China
Strategic Arms Limitations Talks
Nixon also strengthened relations with the Soviet
Union, including holding a historic meeting -- SALT
Summit meeting between U.S. and Soviet Union when
the two countries agreed to limit nuclear arms
Détente with Russia
From 1972 to 1974,
tensions between the U.S.
and the Soviet Union eased
Election of 1972
Nixon re-elected in a rout
The Pentagon Papers
In 1971, a former Defense
Department worker leaked what
were known as the Pentagon
Papers to the New York Times
The documents
showed how our
leaders had
deceived
Congress, the
The government
media, and the
had not been
public about how
honest with the
American people the war was going
Roots of Watergate
The release of the Pentagon Papers to the
New York Times angered Nixon
He thought others were out to sabotage his
presidency and undermine him, leading to…
Coming up:
Nixon and
Watergate
Nixon and Watergate
By Brad Harris,
Grand Prairie HS
What was Watergate?
Watergate was one of
the largest political
scandals in the history
of the United States
What was Watergate?
The Watergate scandal occurred when the
Republicans were caught spying on the
Democrats at the Democratic Headquarters
What was Watergate?
Watergate became a major scandal when
President Nixon lied about his role in the
break-in and tried to cover it up
Roots of Watergate
When the New York Times and Washington
Post began to publish the Pentagon Papers,
the Nixon Administration sued them.
Roots of Watergate
It was Richard Nixon’s paranoia that his
enemies wanted to ruin his presidency that
was at the root of the Watergate scandal
The White House Plumbers
After the release of the Pentagon Papers, the White
House created a unit to ensure internal security.
Howard Hunt
James McCord
G. Gordon Liddy
Chuck Colson
This unit was called the “Plumbers” because they
were put in charge of stopping information “leaks”.
The Watergate Break-in
When initial polls showed Nixon only slightly
ahead in the Election of 1972, the Plumbers
turned their activities to political espionage.
The Watergate Break-in
On June 17, 1972, 5 men were arrested attempting
to bug Democratic headquarters inside the
Watergate building in Washington D.C.
The Washington Post
Watergate came to public attention largely through
the work of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein,
investigative reporters from the Washington Post
Watergate Investigations
In March 1973, defendant James
McCord informed Judge John Sirica
that Watergate was a conspiracy.
Sirica’s investigation transformed
Watergate from a “third-rate
burglary” to a major scandal.
Congressional Hearings
Congress began hearings to investigate the scandal
and found that Nixon’s Attorney General, John Mitchell,
controlled a fund to pay for espionage operations
Congressional Hearings
In June 1973, former White House legal counsel
John Dean delivered testimony that implicated
Nixon from the earliest days of Watergate
The Oval Office Tapes
In an effort to discredit Dean’s testimony, the White
House announced that Nixon had secretly been
tape-recording conversations. These tapes would
become the focus of the investigation.
The Smoking Gun Tapes
When the Supreme Court forced Nixon to
surrender the tapes, he refused invoking
“executive privilege”
The Saturday Night Massacre
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Archibald Cox
The Administration reached
an agreement with the
Senate Watergate
Committee that its Chairman
would be allowed to listen to
tapes and provide a
transcript to the Committee
and to Special Prosecutor
Archibald Cox.
The deal broke down when
Cox refused to accept the
transcripts in place of the
tapes.
Since the Special
Prosecutor is an employee
of the Justice Department,
Nixon ordered Attorney
General Elliot Richardson to
fire Cox.
The Saturday Night Massacre
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
Robert Bork
When Richardson
refused, he was fired.
Nixon ordered Deputy
Attorney General William
D. Ruckelshaus to fire
Cox.
When he refused, he was
fired.
Nixon then ordered
Solicitor General Robert
Bork (who was later
nominated for the
Supreme Court by
Reagan) to fire Cox and
he complied.
The Washington Post
reported on the “Saturday
Night Massacre.”
The Oval Office Tapes
On October 23, 1973 Nixon agreed to turn over
White House tape recordings requested by the
Watergate special prosecutor to Judge Sirica.
The Smoking Gun Tapes
Many of the conversations on the tapes indicate
Nixon’s knowledge of the Watergate break in
and the following cover-up. One tape had an
18½ -minute gap that people questioned.
Nixon’s Final Days
On July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee
approved Articles of Impeachment against
Nixon. The House was set to vote on the matter.
On August 5, 1974, when the “smoking gun
tape” became public, Nixon was told that he
would not survive the vote in the Senate
Nixon Resigns
On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon became
the first American president to resign
Aftermath of Watergate
 Gerald Ford became the nation’s 37th president.
 More than 30 government officials went to prison for
their role in Watergate. Nixon was not one of them.
 In September 1974, Ford gave Nixon a full pardon.
 There was a public distrust of the government that
continues to this day.
Carter and the ‘70s
U.S. celebrates Bicentennial
On July 4, 1976, the United States celebrated
its bicentennial (200th birthday)
Election of 1976
In the 1976 Presidential Election, the Republicans nominated the
sitting president Gerald Ford as their candidate
The Democrats nominated a relative unknown, Georgia Governor
Jimmy Carter, who had once been a peanut farmer
In a close
election, Carter
defeated Ford
to become the
nation’s 39th
president.
Texas was a key
state in the
victory for
Carter.
Gerald Ford, Republican
Jimmy Carter, Democrat
Election of 1976
Carter won 40.8 million votes and 297 electoral votes
Ford won 39.1 million votes and 240 electoral votes
The Carter Years
Jimmy Carter was liked by
many because he was a
Southern Democrat who
was not a Washington
insider
But Carter’s Presidency
was troubled by the Iran
hostage crisis and an
economic downturn
Middle East Turmoil
 Trouble began in the Middle East
following World War II with the
creation of Israel.
The conflict led to two wars
between Israel and numerous
Muslim-dominated Arab countries
 During the wars, the
United States supported
Israel due to our close
Judea-Christian ties.
OPEC oil embargo
OPEC is the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries and it
was founded in 1960 by five founding
members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia and Venezuela.
In response to the U.S.
support of Israel, in 1973
OPEC placed an oil
embargo on the U.S.
Gas Shortages
The OPEC oil embargo
led to gas shortages in
the United States and
throughout the world.
Gas prices skyrocketed and
people were limited to the amount
of gasoline they could buy.
Gas Shortages
Long lines and hours of waiting to get gas were common
sights in the 1970s.
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between
Iran and the U.S. when 53 Americans were held hostage
for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981
Iran Hostage Crisis
The hostages were taken captive by Islamic militants who
took over the American Embassy in response to the U.S.
allowing the former Shah of Iran to come to the U.S.
Iran Hostage Crisis
The American hostages were held in captivity for
444 days and not released until after Carter was
defeated in the 1980 election and left office.
Camp David Accords
 One of the greatest achievements of Carter was in his foreign policy.
 Carter negotiated a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt that
was known as the Camp David Accords, signed in September 1978.
 Carter’s work with foreign countries eventually earned him the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2002.
Jonestown Massacre
Americans were shocked in 1978 when The
Peoples Temple, a religious cult, had a mass
suicide that left nearly 1,000 people dead
Three Mile Island disaster
The Three Mile Island disaster is
when a nuclear power facility in
Pennsylvania had a core meltdown.
The meltdown led to
radioactive gases being leaked
into the air.
The incident occurred in March of
1979 and was the worst nuclear
power accident in U.S. history
Election of 1980
Pop Culture of the 70s
CB Radios
Disco
Pet Rocks
Bellbottoms
Jogging
Pop Culture of the 70s
Top
TV
Shows
All in the Family
Happy Days
The Brady Bunch
Mary Tyler Moore Show
Pop Culture of the 70s
Top in
Movies
Pop Culture of the 70s
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Music
Coming Up Next
Reagan
and the ’80s
Reagan and the ’80s
The Miracle on Ice
The U.S. victory over Russia in the 1980 winter Olympics restored
American pride after a difficult decade for the nation
Rise of Conservatism
Conservative
Republican
Right
Capitalism
Fiscally: Limited government spending, lower taxes
Socially: Strict enforcement of laws, moral values
Liberal
Democrat
Left
Socialism
Fiscally: Government programs to help poor, elderly, children
Socially: Protection of personal freedoms and liberties
Conservative ideas gained support for two main reasons
• Some Americans believed that the government’s role in
the economy was leading the U.S. towards communism
• Many Americans saw the Cold War as a battle between
good and evil
Rise of Conservatism
Conservatism
grew throughout
a region of the
nation known as
the Sunbelt.
Because most
people in this
region are
religious, the
area was known
as the Bible Belt
The leading voice of the
conservative movement
became a former actor
named Ronald Reagan
Reagan rises to power
Ronald Reagan had gained
popularity as a Hollywood
movie star before becoming
Governor of California in 1967
Left, Ronald Reagan with Marilyn
Monroe; above, Reagan following his
victory in California governors race
Ronald Reagan takes over
People were upset
with Carter over
the economy, Iran
hostage crisis
Because people saw Reagan as a
symbol of hope and pride, Reagan
defeated Carter in a landslide
Election of 1980
Reagonomics
Reagan brought to the presidency new economic policies,
advocating a limited government and economic laissez-faire
philosophy. Reagan believed that the government should not
regulate big businesses that would keep them from prospering.
Reagonomics
Reaganomics believed in:
Cutting taxes would help
businesses use money they
didn’t have to pay to the
government to make new
investments
Increasing the growth of
the business and create
new jobs
More goods for consumers,
lower prices, while
consumers would have
more money to spend.
Reagan Reshapes Court
President Reagan was able to sway
the U.S. Supreme Court to the right
with the appointments of two
conservatives – Antonin Scalia and
Sandra Day O’Connor
O’Connor was the first
woman chosen for the
Supreme Court
Reagan Doctrine
Reagan believed the U.S. should support groups that
were fighting to overthrow Communists governments.
This policy was called the Reagan Doctrine.
Two places Reagan In Afghanistan, Reagan
implemented this policy sent aid Afghani freedom
were Afghanistan in fighters known as the
Southwest Asia and Mujahedeen, who were
Nicaragua in Central fighting off a Soviet
America. invasion.
Reagan’s involvement in Nicaragua led to a scandal
that came to be known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
Iran-Contra Scandal
The Iran-Contra affair
was a scandal during
Reagan’s presidency
over an arms-forhostages deal with Iran
in exchange funds for
Nicaraguan rebels
known as the Contras
Members of the Reagan administration secretly arranged
for the illegal sale of arms to Iran in exchange for hostages
The money was then illegally funneled to support an
attempted over-throw of Nicaragua's communist government
Iran-Contra Scandal
The key figure in the IranContra scandal was a
military aide to the National
Security Council, Lieutenant
Colonel Oliver North
Democrats called for an investigation and
wanted to find out if President Reagan knew
of the illegal activities, but no evidence
implicating Reagan was ever found
Iran-Contra Scandal
Arms
Iran
Money
Iran
= $$$
Contras
Nicaragua
Hezbollah
No more hostages
Reagan wins re-election
Reagan’s win in 1984 was the largest landslide in U.S. history
Space Shuttle launched
The United States
launched the first
space shuttle on
April 12, 1981
The space shuttle
Columbia was the first
of over 100 shuttle
missions flown
Challenger Disaster
Disaster hit the program on
January 20, 1986 when the
shuttle Challenger exploded
shortly after takeoff
The crash killed the entire seven
member crew, including teacher
Christa McAuliffe
Reagan and the Cold War
President Reagan abandoned the
believe in détente. He viewed the
Soviet Union as evil and believed
that the U.S. should not negotiate
with the Russians
Reagan believed the U.S. had to be
strong militarily to deal with the
Soviet Union. He began a huge
military buildup called Star Wars.
The Star Wars program was a
defense system that would shoot
Soviet missiles out of the sky in
space before they reached the
United States.
Reagan and the Cold War
In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate by the
Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987, Reagan
challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
to “tear down this wall”.
Bush takes over
In the Election of 1988, most people saw
Reagan’s vice-president – George Bush – as a
solid choice to continue the Reagan policies
Democrats nominated Massachusetts Governor
Michael Dukakis, who promised more programs
to help minorities and the poor
Bush made a pledge to
the American people
when he said “read my
lips, no new taxes.”
Most saw Dukakis as
too liberal, leading to
a landslide election
victory by Bush
Election of 1988
George Bush
Michael Dukakis
Exxon Valdez disaster
In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground at
Prince William Sound in Alaska. The result was an
oil spill of 10.8 million gallons that was the nation’s
worst environmental disaster in it’s history to date.
Tiananmen Square Massacre
In 1989, Chinese students held protests for
democracy in Tiananmen Square, the town center
f Beijing. Hundreds were executed and thousands
more were either jailed or exiled. The U.S.
responded by placing trade sanctions on China.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
With democratic ideas spreading throughout Eastern
Europe, change came quickly. In November of 1989,
the Berlin Wall gates were opened. East Berliners
came streaming through as free people for the first
time in 40 years. Within days, the wall was leveled.
End of the Cold War
Within a year after the
fall of the Berlin Wall,
Germany – a country
divided the previous 40
years – was reunited.
While Germany was
reuniting as a
democratic country,
by 1991 the Soviet
Union was beginning
to break apart.
In December of
1991, Gorbachev - now a leader of
a government that
no longer existed - announced the
end of the Soviet
Union. The Cold
War was over.
Pop Culture of the 80s
Original Nike’s
Valley Girl Look
Pac-Man
Chiai Pet
Jogging
Pop Culture of the 80s
The A-Team
The Cosby Show
Top TV
Shows
Dallas
Married with Children
Pop Culture of the 80s
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Movies
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Music
COMING UP NEXT:
Clinton and
the ’90s