Competency Goal 11: Recovery, Prosperity, and Turmoil (1945-1980),
trace economic, political, and social developments and assess their
significance for Americans during this period.
11.03: Identify other major social movements and evaluate their impact on U.S. society
11.04: Examine how America’s involvement in Vietnam affected society
11.05: Examine how technological innovations have impacted American life
11.06: Identify significant political events and personalities and assess their social and
political effects
Competency Goal 12: The United States since the Vietnam War
(1973-present), identify and analyze trends in U.S. domestic during
this time period
12.02: Evaluate the impact of recent constitutional amendments, court rulings, and
federal legislation
12.03: Identify and assess the impact of economic, technological and environmental
changes in the U.S.
12.04: Identify and assess the impact of social, political, and cultural changes in the U.S.
12.05: Assess the impact of growing racial and ethnic diversity in American society
The Great Society, 1964-1968
Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973):
A man of tremendous ambition, Johnson became
the greatest legislator of the twentieth century. Born
in the hard-scrabble hill country of central Texas, he
came to Washington during the New Deal and
gained great admiration for Franklin Roosevelt. He
eventually measured his own political success
against the yardstick of Roosevelt’s presidency. In
1948, Johnson won election to the U.S. Senate and
during the 1950s he rose through the ranks of his
party and became Senate Majority Leader. He was
instrumental in getting the Civil Rights Act of 1957
passed in the Senate over the strong opposition and
filibusters of other southern Democrats, notably
Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.
Although they hated each other, Kennedy named
Johnson as his running mate in 1960. Among his
projects as vice-POTUS was overseeing the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and Mercury astronaut program.
He became POTUS upon JFK’s murder in 1963. He
won his own mandate in the election of 1964 with
the largest popular vote victory in history, beating
Republican Barry Goldwater by 15,000,000 votes.
As POTUS, LBJ pursued a reform policy, the Great
Society, but got trapped fighting the Vietnam War.
With opposition to the war rising after Tet,
Johnson chose not to run again in 1968.
There is much disagreement among historians
about LBJ’s presidency, but he must be recognized
as a foremost legislator who brought the Civil
Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, as well as Medicare and many
other important programs into being. He is ranked
as a slightly above average POTUS at #17.
The Johnson Landslide – 1964
New Deal Coalition: Bloc of voters for the Democratic Party created in the landslide
1936 election that led U.S. politics into the 1960s. It included labor, farmers, progressive
elites in the Northeast, conservatives in the South, Jews, and blacks. Southerners started
leaving the coalition in 1948, but did not vote Republican until the 1972 election. As
southern whites left, African Americans joined in greater numbers. Turmoil and violence
of the late 1960s killed it as a political force, paving the way for a Conservative resurgence
(small government and states’ rights) that led to Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980.
Great Society: Johnson’s legislative reform program for 1965.
Johnson wanted to be as important and successful a POTUS as his hero, Franklin
Roosevelt. He believed in Liberalism--that the federal government could and should
use its resources to protect the weak in society and advance the nation’s health and
prosperity.
•It funded aid to education (Headstart and the Elementary & Secondary Education
Act).
•It increased government spending to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to find
cures to diseases.
•After eighteen years of failure, it enacted a healthcare program for the elderly –
Medicare.
•It called for a “domestic Peace Corps” – Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA).
•It sponsored urban renewal, beautification, and conservation programs
•It created programs to develop depressed regions, programs to control and prevent
crime and delinquency, and laws to remove obstacles to the right to vote (Voting
Rights Act of 1965).
CONTROLLING U.S. IMMIGRATION
THE NATIONAL ORIGINS ACT OF 1924
•Established a “national origins” quota that allowed a percentage of each ethnic group to
immigrate. The percentage was based on the 1920 census for each ethnic group.
•150,000 immigrants could be admitted per year.
•There was no quota system, restriction, for immigrants from the Western Hemisphere.
THE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 1965
•Eliminated the “national origins” quota, which had given preference to northwestern
Europeans.
•170,000 immigrants could be admitted per year from the Eastern Hemisphere.
•120,000 immigrants could be admitted per year from the Western Hemisphere.
How did the Immigration Reform Act of 1965 change the immigration policy for people
from the Western Hemisphere?
A Neither act controlled immigration from Western Hemisphere.
B The 1965 Act limited the number of immigrants from Western Hemisphere while the
1924 Act did not.
C The 1965 Act did not affect immigrants from Western Hemisphere.
D The 1965 Act increased the number of immigrants admitted from Western Hemisphere.
The centerpiece of the program was the War on
Poverty, inspired by Michael Harrington’s The
Other America.
Johnson pledged to end poverty in the U.S.
(among blacks in the rural South and inner-city
North, whites in Appalachia, and Hispanics in
the Southwest) through expanded welfare
programs. The grand scheme cost billions and
with the U.S. already spending billions to fight
the war in Vietnam inflation took hold of the
economy. The U.S. faced growing deficits and
eventually a serious economic crisis.
Although some important programs were created, notably
Medicare, the Great Society broke down into disarray by 1968.
With the end of the Great Society came the end of the New Deal
Coalition and the election of Richard Nixon by the so-called
“silent majority.”
“The Summer of Love”: The summer of 1967 – the heyday of the Counterculture
and “Hippies.” San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood (home of the Beats)
became a Mecca for young people to come, “hang out,” play music, engage in “free
love,” and do drugs. Capping the summer were
the release of The Beatles’ “concept album,” Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the
Monterey Pop Music Festival, where 200,000
young people gathered to listen to the latest
bands, including the introduction of audiences to
Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, and Otis
Redding. It was the first of the major rock
concerts that culminated in Woodstock. Another
element of the “Summer” was Timothy Leary’s
emergence as an advocate for experimental drug use—
notably LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) —and his
catch phrase “Turn on, tune in, drop out”: that is, Turn
on: Use drugs to obtain a higher state of awareness.
Tune in: Learn from the higher state of awareness.
Tune in to the “vibes.” Drop out: Drop out of society.
Enact changes outside of conventional society.
Woodstock
The high point of the Counterculture
and youth movement of the 1960s.
Nearly 500,000 young people came to
Max Yasgur’s dairy farm near Bethel,
New York, in August 1969, for “three
days of peace and music.”
Almost all of the leading rock acts and some old antiwar folkies played. Two legendary performers who
would soon die from drug overdoses—Jimi Hendrix
and Janis Joplin—were the headliners. Despite the
fact that more than twice the number expected
showed up, causing massive traffic jams and overcrowded facilities, and despite the fact that it poured
rain, causing the field to become a giant mud pit, the
event stayed peaceful and the audience stayed happy.
Remarkably, while there was widespread illegal drug
use there was no real crime and no conflict or
violence. There were several deaths (from heroin
overdoses, a tractor accident, and natural causes), at
least two births, and several marriages. For three
days, Woodstock was the second largest city in New
York State and one of the largest cities in the U.S. It
demonstrated how positive the Counterculture could
be when left to its own devises.
1968: a turning point in U.S. history. It was a year of tragedy. Liberals see it as the year the
dream of a peaceful, prosperous, racially and sexually tolerant society died. Conservatives
see it as when Liberalism spun out of control and when the Liberal tide was stemmed.
Lyndon Johnson was expected to run for re-election, but the Tet Offensive ended that
thought. At the end of March he declared he would not run because he had to focus on the
war in Vietnam. Four days later, King was murdered and the nation’s cities erupted in riot.
As summer began, Democrats faced a battle to find
a candidate for POTUS. (Republicans nominated
Richard Nixon). The two leading Democrats were
Vice-POTUS Hubert Humphrey and Senator Robert
F. Kennedy. Humphrey wanted to “stay the course”
in Vietnam, but Kennedy called for immediate
withdrawal. In early August, after winning the
California primary, Kennedy was murdered by a
Palestinian activist named Sirhan Sirhan.
“Revolution”
By John Lennon and Paul McCartney
You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We'd all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We'd all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be alright [x3]
You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We'd all want to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We're all doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be alright [x4]
You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We'd all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know know it's gonna be alright [x3]
Alright [x7]
The Democratic Party Convention was held in Chicago in
late August. Protesters of all stripes descended on the city.
One group, known as the Yippies (Youth International
Party), mocked the convention. They released a live pig,
Pigasus, in the convention hall to demonstrate how
politicians were just pigs at the trough. Many protesters
belonged to the Students of a Democratic Society.
On one of the nights protestors spread into the
street. Chicago police went in at them in full riot
gear. Television cameras filmed the scene of a
police riot, police beating up on middle-class
white student protesters. It sent shock waves
through the country. Several of the protestors
were indicted for causing the disturbance. The
Chicago Seven included members of the SDS, the
Yippies, and the Black Panthers.
Many Americans who had remained quiet
throughout the turmoil of the civil rights
movement and anti-war protests feared that
the country was on the brink of civil war
and destruction. In the November election,
the so-called “Silent Majority” spoke—they
voted for Nixon.
The 1968 Presidential Election:
With the end of the Great Society came the end of the New Deal Coalition and the election
of Richard Nixon by the so-called “Silent Majority.”
America seemed to be coming apart. The streets were filled with protests and violence:
blacks fought whites, young fought old, doves fought hawks, liberals fought conservatives.
Political assassination seemed a matter of course. Riots turned American inner cities into
burned-out shells of despair and rage.
Nixon tapped into concerns about the unraveling of American society by asserting a “law
and order” message in the campaign. He decried the “permissiveness” of the Democratic
administration, notably Attorney General Ramsey Clark. He focused the nation’s attention
on street crime, general lawlessness, and disorder, arguing that it was time to take back the
cities from the muggers, drug pushers, and more violent criminals. Promising to clean up
the streets and to find “a peace with honor” in Vietnam, he won a resounding victory in
the Electoral College (301 votes to Democratic candidate Vice-POTUS Hubert Humphrey
191).
But equally essential to Nixon’s victory, was the candidacy of Independent Democrat
George Wallace of Alabama. Stripping southern votes from Humphrey, he won 46 electoral
votes. On the popular vote level, the election was extremely close. For many, Nixon was still
“Tricky Dick Nixon” the man the Left most loved to hate. Nixon won only 43.4% of the
vote; Humphrey took 42.7%; and Wallace took 13.5% (highest total of any “Third Party”
candidate to that time).
Economic Stagnation and Recovery, 1968-1986
The Gold Crisis: Economic crack-up resulting from the massive government spending
on the war in Vietnam and War on Poverty.
After WWII, the economic powers agreed to set the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve
currency--the Bretton Woods Agreement. It set the conversion rate for gold at $35 U.S. per
ounce. With the U.S. restricting the number of U.S. dollars in the world economy, through
its worldwide trade surplus, the dollar remained stable.
But spending during the 1960s, without tax increases, put the U.S. government deeply in
debt. With too many U.S. dollars in currency markets, Europe pressured the Johnson
administration of devalue the dollar. Inflation began to wrack the economy and investors
looked for more stable investments. They started dumping their U.S. dollars in exchange
for gold. Pressure built. On March 14th, 1968, the U.S. lost $372 million in gold trading.
On March 17th, the world economic leaders forced Johnson to abandon control of gold
prices and ever since the price of gold has floated with currency markets, leading to
increased inflation, deficits, debt, and interest payments.
By the early 1970s, the U.S. began printing more and more dollars to keep up with debts,
beginning a period of runaway inflation. By 1973, the Bretton Woods system collapsed.
Since abandoning the gold price, U.S. dollars remain the world’s reserve currency, but are
now based solely on the world’s faith in the U.S. government and economy—a potentially
precarious place to put one’s faith given the crises that caused the change and our current
trade deficit and national debt.
Stagflation: The economy that Nixon inherited from Johnson was not only overcome by
inflation, but paradoxically by unemployment, as well. Baby boomers began entering the
employment market in 1965, and over the next fifteen years nearly 30 million new workers
needed jobs. The economy could not keep up: the Gross Domestic Product fell. Productivity
declined, fueling further inflation. The economic phenomenon was given a new name,
“stagflation,” reflecting stagnant employment amid rising prices and general inflation.
Richard M. Nixon, 1913-1994
Wage and Price Controls: Nixon tried to solve the debt and inflation issue by raising
taxes and cutting spending, but Democrats in Congress blocked the spending cuts. Nixon
then employed the power of “impoundment,” simply not spending the money Congress
had appropriated. This controlled spending, but was a precarious political tactic. Nixon
then pressured the Federal Reserve Board to slow the economy by raising interest rates,
but that led to the politically damaging “Nixon Recession of 1969.” Finally, though he had
pledged never to do it, Nixon imposed wage and price controls. He froze wages and prices
for ninety days in August 1971. The controls were extended through 1972 and made
voluntary in 1973. The economy did not recover.
Arab Oil Embargo: In 1973, OPEC (the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
refused to sell oil to any country supporting
Israel. The embargo devastated a U.S. economy
reeling from the Vietnam War and Great Society.
Inflation already wracked the economy, but the
embargo made matters worse. Government
responded by expanding alternative fuel programs,
notably natural gas and ethanol, and by reducing
speed limits on federal highways. Americans
responded by buying more economical cars,
particularly the new compact cars from Japan, such as
the Honda CVCC (Civic). Competition from Japan
caught the American auto makers flatfooted as their
gas-guzzling land yachts lost market share, throwing
more workers out of jobs and bringing Chrysler to
the brink of bankruptcy. The oil embargo led to the
“energy crisis” and “gas lines” of the Carter years.
Watergate: Named for a building in Washington, it
refers to the Nixon campaign’s plot to burglarize the
Democratic National Committee's campaign
headquarters and the subsequent cover-up. Nixon’s
staff hired a group of burglars, called “plumbers,” to
do various “dirty tricks.” When the burglars were
caught breaking into DNC headquarters, an
investigation traced payment of the burglars back to
the Committee to Re-Elect the President (“CREEP”)
and to the White House. Nixon did not know about
the plot, but when he found out he decided to cover it
up. An investigation by Washington Post reporters
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led to a whistleblower, FBI Associate Director W. Mark Felt, known
as “Deep Throat.” The most critical piece of
information Felt told the reporters was to talk to John
Dean, White House Counsel. When they did, Dean
told them that he and Nixon had discussed the issue
and alleged cover-up on many occasions.
As news accounts exposed the plot, Congress began hearings and “discovered” that
Nixon had secretly taped all conversations in the Oval Office (for the historical record). It
demanded that the Nixon administration turn over the tapes. Nixon refused, claiming
Executive Privilege. Congress sued Nixon for not responding to a subpoena. The U.S.
Supreme Court, in United States v. Nixon, ruled that Nixon had to turn over the tapes.
As Congress got closer, the administration also began
an investigation through the Office of the Special
Prosecutor. Archibald Cox, the liberal Democrat lawyer
who had served as Solicitor General under JFK, was
named chief investigator. Cox’s investigators proved
more dogged than Nixon had hoped. So on October
20th, 1973, Nixon ordered the Attorney General to fire
Cox. The AG Elliot Richardson refused and resigned.
The Deputy AG also refused and resigned. Finally,
Nixon’s Solicitor General Robert Bork carried out
Nixon’s order. When it all came public, it became
known as the Saturday Night Massacre.
With his impeachment imminent and his conviction almost assured, Nixon resigned the
presidency in August 1974. Shortly after Nixon left office, claiming the “our national
nightmare is over,” President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon.
President Gerald Ford: From Michigan, he became the 37th POTUS, but is the only
president never elected to any national office. In 1973, Nixon’s first Vice-POTUS (Spiro
Agnew) resigned in the face of corruption charges; so under the 25th Amendment, Nixon
nominated and Congress approved Ford to replace him. When Nixon resigned, Ford
became POTUS. Although many Americans criticized him for it at the time, historians
now suggest that the pardon of Nixon (Ford’s most important act as president) was the
right thing to do. It put Watergate behinds us and kept it from dragging through the
courts and continuing to cause political upheaval. In retrospect, Ford was an important
stabilizing figure.
Whip Inflation Now (WIN): With the U.S. economy reeling
from inflation in 1974, it seems that the best Gerald Ford could do
was come up with a slogan: Whip Inflation Now. He asked people
to wear WIN buttons and control spending habits. Not only did it
not stop inflation (because the high cost of fuel caused everything
else to go up) it may have helped lead the country into a mild
recession of 1975.
The Tumbling President
Carter (D)
E.C. Vote - 297
Pop. Vote - 40.8 million
Ford (R)
E.C. Vote – 240
Pop. Vote – 39.1 million
Voter Participation (Based
on Registered Voters) 53%
Betty Friedan: Started the modern women’s liberation
movement when she published The Feminine Mystique in
1963. The book shook American culture by declaring that
women were dissatisfied being “just” wives and mothers:
“the problem that has no name.” She became an activist for
women’s rights and was co-founder of the National
Organization for Women in 1966. In 1969, she co-founded
the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws
(NARAL) which became a leading advocate in the case
known as Roe v. Wade.
"The problem that has no name —
which is simply the fact that
American women are kept from
growing to their full human
capacities — is taking a far greater
toll on the physical and mental
health of our country than any
known disease."
Roe v. Wade (1973): Controversial case involving the legal right to abortion. It grew
out Norma L. McCorvey’s (Jane Roe) challenge to a Texas law banning abortion.
Building on the 1964 case, Griswold v. Connecticut, which established a constitutional
“right to privacy,” the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a constitutional right.
The 7-2 decision argued to a three-part policy based on the trimester pregnancy. In the
first trimester, before “quickening” or “viability” of the fetus, abortion was absolutely
legal; the second trimester was a gray area, dependent on doctor-patient agreement; in
the third trimester abortion was not legal except to save the life of the mother. The
trimester system has been significantly refined by later decisions, notably Planned
Parenthood v. Casey (1992).
The case made a national issue of abortion as Americans divided into two camps – ProChoice and Pro-Life. The political parties also divided on the issue: the Republican
Party calling for a constitutional amendment to restrict abortion, and the Democratic
Party calling for expanded abortion rights. This created a “gender gap” that defined
American politics from the 1970s to 2001.
Equal Rights Amendment: Having won the vote, women’s rights advocates, as
early as the 1920s, began calling for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit
discrimination on account of gender. They wanted to guarantee women access to jobs,
to equal pay for those jobs, as well as rights of contract and any other area of public
life. With the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1970s, led by such figures as
Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and the National Organization for Women (NOW),
Congress finally passed the proposed amendment and it went to the states for
ratification. Three-quarters of states (38 states) had to approve the amendment by 1979
(later extended to 1982) for it to take effect. The ratification process became complex
and somewhat convoluted because several states initially ratified it only to revoke their
approval upon further study.
A counter-movement, named Stop-ERA, led by Phyllis Schlafly, arose to challenge the
amendment. Schlafly argued that it would eliminate several gender-based benefits that
women enjoy in America. And as a strong conservative advocate of family values, she
contended that it would lead to tax-payer funded abortions, same-sex marriages, and
women in combat. Stop-ERA successfully blocked the advance of the amendment and
by 1982 its time had run out. The Equal Rights Amendment failed.
Interestingly, those policies which Schlafly feared came to pass even without the ERA.
The Equal Rights Amendment
Pros – According to NOW
•Gives women greater educational opportunities
•Gives equal pay for equal work
•Stops the “exclusion” of women from certain
professions and most levels of government
Cons – According to Stop-ERA
•Destroys traditional American values and social patterns
•Takes away legal rights of wives, especially in divorce cases
•Takes away the right of single-gender colleges
César Chávez and the Migrant Farm Workers Movement
César Chávez was born in Yuma, Arizona, and had worked as a
migrant farm worker in California in his youth. Farm workers
had few rights and were not treated fairly. After facing
segregation while in the Navy in WWII, he became an advocate
for civil rights of Hispanics. In 1956, he founded the National
Farm Workers Association with Delores Huerta. Later called the
United Farm Workers, the union organized a national boycott of
grapes during the late 1960s and early 1970s that forced
California growers to raise the wages of farm workers.
CIVIL RIGHTS FOR MINORITY GROUPS
NATIVE AMERICANS
HISPANIC AMERICANS
AFRICAN AMERICANS
Declaration of Indian Purpose
United Farm Workers
Fought for:
• Increased wages
• Benefits
• Job security
People United to Save
Humanity (PUSH)
Led by Jesse Jackson
•Create greater economic
opportunities on
reservations
American Indian Movement
Demanded:
• Changes in the administration
of reservations
• Government to honor treaty
obligations
• Native American selfdetermination
• Land and water rights
La Raza Unida
• Mobilized Hispanic
American voters
• Called for job-training
programs
• Promoted greater access to
financial institutions
Worked to:
• Register African
American voters
• Develop African American
businesses
• Broaden educational
opportunities
Congressional Black Caucus
Promoted:
• Health care
• Economic development
• Crime reduction
Jimmy Carter: Given Watergate, Gerald Ford’s unpopular pardon of Nixon, and a
tanking economy (unemployment at 9%), the 1976 election was much closer than one
might expect, but the Democrat Jimmy Carter won. A major story of the election was low
voter turnout. Carter, former Georgia Governor, campaigned as an outsider. That, and his
lack of a mandate, left him unable to control the sizeable Democratic majority in Congress
and led to conflict that made resolving the problems that ailed America nearly impossible.
As the economy remained stagnant, Carter lost credibility.
Energy Crisis II: The lingering effects of the Arab Oil Embargo and the new shock of
the Iranian Hostage Crisis led to a second energy crisis in the late 1970s. The Blizzard of
1977 made that winter the hardest in memory; heating oil prices sky-rocketed. Then the
strife in Iran caused oil prices to go up. Oil had cost less than $5 a barrel in 1969, but by
1979 the price had risen to near $40; a year later it climbed to $50 per barrel. To end the
inflationary spiral, the Federal Reserve boosted interest rates to 20%, which slowed the
economy and through more people out of work. Carter’s popularity in polls dropped to
26% (lower than Nixon’s rating at the depth of Watergate.)
Three Mile Island: In the midst of the
energy crisis, many hoped that nuclear
power would offer a safe and sustainable
alternative to oil. Others feared nuclear
power. In 1979, a partial meltdown at the
Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating
Station in central Pennsylvania fed fears of a
nuclear catastrophe. The station had a “loss of coolant accident” which caused the
reactor core to overheat. To relieve pressure, the steam was released into the
atmosphere. Many feared the spread nuclear radiation into an area inhabited by more
than 25,000 people. The entire region was evacuated. In the end, no one was hurt in the
accident, but fears of nuclear disaster remained and construction of new nuclear energy
facilities stopped. Making the whole situation seem worse was the fact that Hollywood
had just released a movie about a meltdown at a nuclear reactor. The China Syndrome
starred Jack Lemmon and Jane Fonda and told the story of what could happen if there
were a real meltdown. According to the movie, it would cause an explosion so big that
it would push downward through the Earth “all the way to China.”
Although nothing really happed at Three Mile Island, a real nuclear disaster did occur
in the Soviet Union in 1986. That event killed 31 people immediately and contaminated
the air and water of the Chernobyl region for a decade.
“Malaise”: On July 15th, 1979, Carter made a
political mistake that plagued the rest of his
time in office. “It's clear that the true
problems of our nation are much deeper,” he
declared in a televised speech, “deeper than
gasoline lines of energy shortages, deeper
even than inflation or recession.” He said a
crisis of the American spirit, a malaise, had
overcome the country. Then he offered his
solution: a reduction of oil imports and an
increase in taxes. Leaving aside the
statement's validity, the speech’s negative
tone further alienated the citizenry. By 1980,
unemployment stood at 7.5%, inflation was
12%, and the prime interest rate was 20%.
When dramatic failures in foreign policy overtook Carter a few months later and Senator
Edward Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination, Carter was all but
guaranteed to lose the 1980 election. He won only 41 percent of the vote and Ronald Reagan
won an overwhelming electoral victory, 489 to 49. Although more had voted than in the
previous election, only 53 percent of eligible voters actually cast ballots.