The Ford & Carter Years
Objective: I can describe the failures and
achievements of president’s Ford and Carter.
Preview: pick up last set of primary resources.
Process: Ford and Carter Sheets
On Your Own: Iranian Hostage Crisis Reading
(replacement grade OR primary resource
folder)
• With the resignation of Nixon on
August 9th, 1974 over the Watergate
Scandal, Ford (Nixon’s VP) took over.
• Only man in American history to serve
as Vice President and President
without being elected to either office!
• Why? 25th Amendment; Nixon’s
original VP had been Spiro Agnew,
who had resigned (tax evasion).
Nixon picked Ford to replace him.
• First things first, he pardoned Nixon less
than a month after his resignation.
• Never-ending stagflation.
• WIN: Whip Inflation Now
• Program declaring inflation “public
enemy #1”
• Asked citizens to voluntarily change
their spending/saving behavior to fight
inflation.
• Cut taxes, increased unemployment
benefits, raised interest rates. Caused a
recession.
Foreign Policy
• Relied on Henry Kissinger’s help.
• Traveled to the Soviet Union.
• Signed the Helsinki Accord in
Finland—a series of agreements
that promised greater cooperation
between Eastern and Western
Europe.
• Tries to intervene in Vietnam as it
falls to Communism…Congress
says no!
• Two years of flops!
America gets a
Peanut Farmer!
 Gerald Ford ran for re-election, because
why not?
 Democrats pick Jimmy Carter…Peanut
farmer turned governor of Georgia.
 Promised to restore integrity to the nation’s
highest office.
 Promised not to lie to the American people.
 Down-to-earth
 Gave similar chats on the radio/TV as FDR had
done.
 Planks:
 Focus on energy conservation
 Solve economic problems
Domestic Policy
• National Energy Act: tax on gasguzzling cars, tax credits for alternative
energy development.
• Inflation skyrocketed to 14% due to
continued Middle Eastern violence.
• Job layoffs, transfer from manufacturing
jobs to service sector jobs.
• Carter’s popularity took a serious hit.
• Was popular with minorities; appointed
more African Americans, women and
Latinos than ever before in American
history.
Foreign Policy
• Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in
1979.
• Carter placed a grain embargo on the
USSR.
• Boycotted the Olympics (being held in
Moscow in 1980).
• Camp David Accords: with unrest in
the Middle East between Arab
nations and Israel, Carter invited the
leader of Egypt and the leader of
Israel to Camp David.
• Agreement that called for peace
between the two nations.
• Iranian Hostage Crisis (reading)
Trends of the Time Period
• Cut off relations with countries known to
torture and kill their own citizens
(Brazil/Argentina)
• Human Rights Bureau created.
• Panama Canal given to Panama.
• Environmentalism: realization that
pollution and overconsumption were
damaging the environment.
• Earth Day: April 22, 1970
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
set and enforce pollution standards,
conduct research, assist in pollution
control.