+
Chapter 31: Continuing Divisions and New Limits
1969-1980
For 5 minutes, talk with a
+ partner about everything you
know about the decade of the
70s.
+
The New Politics of Identity
I.
A.
1.
2.
B.
1.
2.
3.
C.
1.
2.
3.
4.
D.
1.
2.
3.
E.
1.
2.
African American Cultural Nationalism
Black activists emphasized distinctiveness of black culture & society – growing hair into
“naturals” & “afros”
1966  Kwanzaa created to offer a celebration of a shared African heritage
Mexican American Activism
1970  9mil lived in SW – discriminated w/ work, pay, schools, etc.
Migrant workers on strike against CA grape growers – United Farm Workers got
attention (paid $0.10 when minimum wage was $1.25)
Customers boycotted & workers rewarded better wages & conditions
Chicano Movement
Fed Alliance of Grants wanted return of land that ancestors owned before US
1969 National Chicano Liberation Youth Conference adopted manifesto to declare
independence
Introduced Chicano studies & culture in schools
La Raza Unida was SW-based political party
Native American Activism
11/1969 “Indians of All Tribes” went to Alcatraz Island demanding return of land –
lasted 19 months, not successful
National Congress of American Indians & Native American Rights Fund asked
Congress to govern themselves
Returned lots of land & passed Indian Self-Determinations & Edu Assistance Act
Affirmative Action
In court – hard to prove discrimination was intentional
Philadelphia Plan ordered businesses to hire “minority” people
+
+ I.
The Women’s Movement and Gay Liberation
Liberal and Radical Feminism
A.
1.
1966 National Organization for Women wanted to enforce Civil Rights Act
2.
Women treated as 2nd class citizens during war
3.
“Bra-burners” = women who went to the Miss America Pageant to protest
Accomplishments of the Women’s Movement
B.
1.
Worked for: Right of married women to get credit in her own name, right of single
women to have birth control, right of women to be on juries, end of sexsegregated “help wanted” ads, dealing with rape victims.
2.
1973 Roe v. Wade  Privacy rights let women have abortions
3.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)  no discrimination based on sex
Opposition to the Women’s Movement
C.
1.
Some didn’t want to be equal – Believed it took away from fighting for racial
equality
2.
STOP-ERA Movement  Believed there would be gov’t intervention in personal
lives, decriminalize rape, use a unisex toilet, & have women in military draft
3.
ERA falls 3 states short of ratification – expires in 1982
Gay Liberation
D.
1.
Pre-1973  homosexuality labeled as a mental disorder
2.
6/28/1969  NYPD raided Stonewall Inn b/c more than 3 homosexual men were
in the bar at the same time – 1st time someone stood up to the police
3.
By 1973  800 gay organizations in the US
Bra-Burners
The End in Vietnam
I.
Invasion of Cambodia
A.
1.
“Vietnamization” = building up South Vietnamese forces to replace US: 1969  543k troops, 1972  60k
2.
3/1969  US bombed Cambodia for 14 months – dropped over 100k tons of bombs from aircrafts
3.
4/1970  South Vietnam & US invaded Cambodia – after 2 months, US troops withdrew
Protests and Counter Demonstrations
B.
1.
450 college campuses on strike
2.
May 4th Kent State University National Guardsmen fired & killed 4, wounded 11
3.
6/1971  Pentagon Papers – Americans learned leaders lied to them about aims and strategies in Southeast Asia
Morale Problems in Military
C.
1.
Drug addiction, desertion, racial disorder, murder of unpopular officers (fragging)
2.
My Lai Massacre (1968) = Lt William Calley charged with the killing of 300+ unarmed South Vietnamese civilians
Paris Peace Accords
D.
1.
12/1972 “Christmas Bombing”  After failed peace agreement b/w North & South Vietnam – US launched massive air strike
on North
2.
1/27/1973  Kissinger & Le Duc Tho signed cease-fire agreement in Paris – both violated and war erupted again
3.
4/29/1975  South Vietnamese gov’t collapsed & Vietnam reunified under Communist gov’t
Costs of the Vietnam War
E.
1.
58k+ US & 1.5-2m Vietnamese
2.
100ks civilians in Cambodia & Laos
3.
Delayed accomodation w/ USSR & China, friction b/w Allies, & alienated 3rd world countries
Debate Over the Lessons of Vietnam
F.
1.
“Vietnam Syndrome” = US suspicion of foreign entanglement – scared of becoming less powerful
2.
Some blamed war on imperial presidency – let them act w/o restraint
3.
1973 War Powers Act  To limit president’s war-making freedom – Congress had to approve any commitment of US forces to
combat action lasting 60+ days
Vietnam Veterans
G.
1.
Post traumatic stress disorder – some killed women, children, & elderly – felt guilty later
2.
1982 DC  Vietnam Veterans Museum
My Lai Massacre
+
Christmas Bombing
+
I.
Nixon, Kissinger, and the World
A.
1.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
C.
1.
2.
D.
1.
2.
3.
4.
E.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Nixon Doctrine (7/1969)
US would give economic aid to Allies, Allies shouldn’t rely on US troops
Détente
Measured cooperation w/ Soviets thru negotiations – to limit Soviet expansion &
arms buildup
Wanted to curb radicalism in 3rd world countries to avoid threats
Soviets wanted détente b/c Cold War drained their resources
5/1972 ABM Treaty = b/w US & USSR – limit construction & deployment of
intercontinental ballistic missiles
Opening to China
US wanted to end Sino-American hostility – China wanted to spur trade & make
USSR scared
1972 trip to “Red China”  Nixon met w/ Mao Zedong & Zhou Enlai – agreed to
disagree on a lot except that USSR should not make gains in Asia
Wars in the Middle East
1967 Arab-Israeli 6-day War – Israel victories against Egypt & Syria – took 28k sq
mi
100ks in Gaza & West Peninsula that Israel took over – all wanted Israel gone
10/1973 (Yom Kippur)  Egypt & Syria attacked Israel
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries embargoed shipments of oil to US
Anti-radicalism in Latin America & Africa
1970 Chile  CIA started secret operation to overthrow pres Salvador Allende
1973  Installed authoritarian regime under Gen Augusto Pinochet
South America  Nixon supported white rulers who used segregation on blacks,
keeping them poor, disenfranchised, & in prison-like towns
US built ties and sent arms to Kenya and Congo
+
Presidential Politics and the Crisis of Leadership
I.
Nixon’s Domestic Agenda
A.
1.
Doubled National Endowment for Arts & Humanities & created Occupational Safety & Health Admin
2.
Republicans = law & order, Democrats = permissiveness, crime, drugs, radicalism, “Hippie Lifestyle”
3.
Proposed minimum wage for all citizens – wanted to get rid of fed welfare system & destroy liberal
bureaucracy of social workers
4.
“Southern strategy” = nominated 2 southerners for Supreme Ct – Congress declined
5.
Ct upheld plan that required NC schools to desegregate by bussing children to other county schools
Enemies & Dirty Tricks
B.
1.
Democratic nominee = George McGovern, opposed Vietnam War
2.
6/17  5 men caught breaking into Democratic National Committee’s Office – associated w/
Committee to Re-elect the President (Nixon won election)
3.
“Enemy lists” = all black members of congress & Ivy League universities
4.
Plumbers = bugged phones, infiltrated campaign staff – wrote & gave letters falsely accusing
Democratic candidates of sexual misconduct
Watergate Cover-up & Investigation
C.
1.
Nixon not involved – still made CIA stop investigation b/c of national security
2.
Obstructed justice (an impeachable crime) – investigation stopped
3.
Reporters Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward continued investigation
4.
Nixon recorded conversations in Oval Office – could prove his involvement, but he wouldn’t release
them
Impeachment & Resignation
D.
1.
10/1973  VP Spiro Agnew resigned – accepted bribes while MD gov– Gerald Ford now VP
2.
10/24/1973  House began impeachment process – Nixon released edited tapes
3.
7/1974  Supreme Ct made Nixon release all tapes – found reasons to impeach him
4.
8/9/1974  became 1st president to resign
5.
War Powers Act & 1974 Budget & Impoundment Control Act  impossible for president to disregard
congressional spending mandates
+
“I am not a crook”
+
E.
F.
Ford’s Presidency
1.
Nation’s 1st unelected president
2.
Pardoned Nixon – ending criminal charges, lost approval ratings (71%41%)
3.
Routinely vetoed bills (39 in 1 yr) – Congress often overrode veto
4.
Mocked & made fun of in political cartoons & SNL – portrayed as buffoon &
klutz
5.
1st president to discover how much rules of changed b/c president was not
respected & made fun of on national news when he slipped or made a
mistake
Carter as “Outsider” President
1.
Jimmy Carter elected in 1976 – committed to racial equality & integration
2.
Religious Christian that lacked political experience – used it to his
advantage by promising the truth & emphasizing his distance from political
corruption
3.
Proposed to Congress an energy plan that emphasized conservation
4.
Worked to ease gov’t regulations w/o destroying consumer & worker
safeguards
5.
Created Depts of Energy & Edu
6.
Established $1.6bil “superfund” to clean up abandoned chemical waste
sights – placed more than 100 mil acres of AK land under fed control as
national parks & forests
+
Jimmy Carter’s Inaugural Speech
+
Economic Crisis
I.
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
C.
1.
2.
3.
D.
Stagflation & Its Causes
Economy in “stagflation” = high unemployment & out of control inflation
Gov’t tried to increase spending & reduce employment – inflation grew
Tried to cut gov’t spending – recession & unemployment grew
1971  US imported more than exported
US goods became more expensive & quality of goods declined
Depended on imported oil – when OPEC cut off shipments, prices rose 350%
Attempts to Fix the Economy
Nixon ended gold-standard for $$ - increased price of foreign goods
Ford created 1974 Whip Inflation Now to encourage anti-inflation efforts
Carter’s attempt to lower unemployment prompted a recession in 1980
Carter’s 1978 economic policies helped later (deregulation of airline, trucking, banking, &
communications)
Impacts of the Economic Crisis
1970s  economy shifted to “service sector” – retail, restaurants, etc.
People moved from North industrial regions to the “Sunbelt” – had aerospace, defense, electronics,
transportation, research, banking & finance, & leisure
Population shift caused disaster in north & midwest cities
Tax Revolts
2.
Created as property taxes increased & taxpayers saw gov’t as the problem
1978 CA Proposition 13  rolled back property taxes & restricted future increases
3.
Caused shortages – states cut schools, libraries, & fire stations
1.
Credit & Investment
E.
1.
High inflation rates meant there were higher declines in purchasing power of a dollar
2.
Began borrowing $ & used credit cards – caused high debt rates
3.
Fidelity Investments = a fund company allowed small investors to get high interest rates
+
An Era of Cultural Transformation
I.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Environmentalism
1.
1969 Santa Barbara, CA  oil spill caused Cuyahoga River to catch fire
2.
1979 Harrisburg, PA  nuclear accident
3.
1980 Love Canal, NY  Carter declared fed emergency b/c 30% of residents suffered from
chromosome damage
4.
4/22/1970  1st Earth Day
Technology
1.
7/20/1969  Neil Armstrong on moon
2.
Poverty, crime, pollution, & urban decay
3.
1970  circuit created, 1975  MIT’s Altair 8800 – had 256 bytes of memory
Religion & the Therapeutic Culture
1.
Evangelical & Fundamentalist church membership grew dramatically
2.
Others looked to “New Age” – Zen Buddhism, yoga, & shamanism
3.
“Therapeutic culture” – some believed was self-centered
Sexuality & the Family
1.
Sex became much more visible in American culture
2.
TV programs less strict
3.
Single bars & gay bathhouses
4.
Started marrying later in life & had fewer children
Diversity
1.
Awareness of differences made stronger by new immigrants from Latin America & Asia
2.
1978 Regents of the University of CA v. Bakke  33 yr old white man denied admission to
med school – believed it was b/c he was white
3.
Supreme Ct decided in favor of Allan Bakke
+
Neil Armstrong on the Moon
+
Renewed Cold War and Middle East Crisis
I.
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
C.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
D.
1.
2.
3.
4.
E.
1.
2.
Carter’s Divided Administration
Carter listened to national security advisor more than his secretary of state
1976 magazine criticized Carter’s relaxed take of the Cold War
Maintained good relations w/ Moscow & other countries around the world
1977  signed 2 treaties w/ Panama
Camp David Accords
9/1978  1st mediated peace treaty b/w Israel & an Arab nation
Israel promised to withdraw from the Sinai peninsula
Arab states denounced agreement for not requiring Israel to relinquish all occupied territories
Ended warfare along 1 frontier
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Relations w/ Moscow had deteriorated
Soviets wanted to deploy missiles at western Europe
12/1979  Soviets invaded Afghanistan b/c of strategic position
Carter suspended shipments of grain & high-tech equipment to USSR
1980  boycotted Summer Olympics in Moscow
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Shah driven from throne b/c it was trying to modernize culture
4/1979  Islamic revolutionaries proclaimed Shi’ite Islamic Republic
11/1979  mobs stormed US Embassy in Teheran & took Americans hostage & demanded that the
Shah stood trial
4/1980  Carter broke diplomatic ties & ordered rescue mission
Rise of Saddam Hussein
1979  became leader & threatened Teheran gov’t – US thought he would offset Iranian danger
9/1979  war began & US was neutral, but soon went towards Iraq