1970s

1970s Notes and Questions

Here are some suggested study points
 * Watergate
 * Ford Pardons Nixon
 * Kissinger's 3 part strategy
 * Mayaguez
 * Iranian Hostage Crisis
 * Stagflation
 * Kent State Shootings
 * Roe v. Wade
 * New Rights

Here's the file if you'd like to download the notes in their entirety.

Here they are copy/pasted. Make sure you are not missing information for the "suggested study" points.

I. Presidents a. Election of 1968 (Nixon wins) i. A New President – Nixon graduated from Whittier, studied law at Duke, served in Navy, House of Reps in 46, Senate in 50, VP in 52, defeat for Pres in 60, defeat in 62 for CA governor à goes into political exile b. Election of 1972 Nixon (republican) v. McGovern (democrat) i. CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President) – raised millions of dollars, much of it illegal. ii. 26th Amendment ratified lowered voting age to 18 iii. Watergate 1. Surveillance team arrested installing eavesdropping equipment in the Democratic headquarters 2. Revealed Nixon had surveillance tapes that recorded a lot of conversation, but he knowingly kept that from the public citing “executive priviledge” 3. Court rules he has to release the tapes, but then he resigns 4. Gerald Ford “pardoned” Nixon of all charges, disallowing a federal investigation of his acts 5. A lot of people were angry at Ford, but he was attempting to avoid national disgrace c. Gerald Ford as President – Caretaker 1973-77 i. Nixon’s VP Spiro Agnew resigned over a previous conspicuous monetary donation, so Ford replaced him as VP. When Nixon resigned, Ford entered office, having been the only president to not run on the presidential ticket, yet serve. d. Election of 1976 – Jimmy Carter v. Gerald Ford i. Campaigned about honesty, as 43% of the people said they did not trust the government II. Foreign Policy of the 1970s a. Kissinger’s (Nixon’s Sec’y of State) 3 part strategy -- détente with Soviets, normalization with China, disengagement from South Vietnam i. Détente (French: relaxation) 1. Limited arms-control pact of SALT I – still anything was better than nothing ii. Normalization 1. Easing of US trade restrictions to China a. Ping-Pong Diplomacy iii. Vietnamization 1. Withdrawal of US ground forces 2. But then invaded Cambodia because North Vietnam had been supply troops and supplies through them. à two riots in Jackson State College and Kent State 3. My Lai Massacre – 347-504 civilians killed à William Calley only person punished, only served 3 years under house arrest 4. Christmas Bombing of 1972 – heaviest bombing in history b. Expanding the Nixon Doctrine i. US foreign policy relied on staunchly anticommunist regional powers – Iran (Shah Reza Pahlavi), South Africa (apartheid), Brazil (military dictatorship) c. Congress withdraws from South Vietnam i. Signs a peace in 1973 to withdraw troops – spring 1975, North Vietnam defeats South ii. Ford vowed support of South Vietnam, but Congress didn’t back – NV takes over SV in 1975 d. Mayaguez rescue i. boarded by Khmer Rogue – bombed Cambodia and rescued the soldiers aboard the Mayaguez – brief approval increase (Jimmy Carter 77-81) e. Negotiating Disputes Overseas i. “Camp David Peace Talks” – Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty – brought them to the US to negotiate ii. China - Formal diplomatic ties with China on 1.1.1979 f. Iran & Afghanistan – Iranians seized 66 American hostages from the US embassy until we returned the Shah Reza Pahlavi who had come to US for medical treatment. i. This becomes an embarrassing failure for Carter ii. USSR invaded Afghanistan but we responded non-militarily and it made us look weak

III. Domestic Policy of the 1970s a. The Economy i. Endured “stagflation” economic stagnation (unemployment) and rising prices (inflation) ii. Abandoned fixed gold-to-dollar ratio in 1971, allowed dollar to “float” in international markets b. Social Policy i. Family Assistance Plan (FAP) – looked like socialism as it guaranteed each family a minimum of 1600 annual income. ii. Created “block grants” a portion of federal tax dollars to state and local govts that allowed them to disperse as they saw fit within broader guidelines c. Environmentalism 70 – creation of the Environmental Protection Agency – creation of Earth Day d. Kent State Shooting (May 4, 1970) i. Students were protesting the American invasion of Cambodia. The Ohio National Guard fired 67 rounds in 13 seconds, killing 4 and wounding 9. e. Title IX of the Higher Education Act (1972) - "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..." i. Schools must offer equal opportunities and provide equal benefit for men and women’s sports f. Roe v. Wade (1973) - The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process  clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution  extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion – must be during the first two tri-mesters (During Carter 77-81) g. James Schlesinger (Dept of Energy) to decrease US reliance on foreign oil – very unsuccessful i. Especially in terms of nuclear energy after the Three Mile Island incident ii. OPEC crisis – Arab nations attacked Israel, we defended Israel, so they stopped exporting oil to US - caused oil to jump from $1.80 in 71 to $30 in 81 h. A Faltering Economy i. Tax cuts and increased public-works spending was the best way to lower unemployment and inflation – FRB kept interest rates low. ii. Conservatives argued that minimum wage and enforcing safety and antipollution regulations drove up the cost of doing business. i. New Right – neo-conservatives – new political party that merged a lot of former parties i. Anticommunist, pro family, anti abortion/LGBT, “entrepreneurial liberty”, defended Israel in international politics (militarily even)

I. Presidents a. Election of 1968 (Nixon wins) i. A New President – Nixon graduated from Whittier, studied law at Duke, served in Navy, House of Reps in 46, Senate in 50, VP in 52, defeat for Pres in 60, defeat in 62 for CA governor à goes into political exile b. Election of 1972 Nixon (republican) v. McGovern (democrat) i. CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President) – raised millions of dollars, much of it illegal. ii. 26th Amendment ratified lowered voting age to 18 iii. Watergate 1. Surveillance team arrested installing eavesdropping equipment in the Democratic headquarters 2. Revealed Nixon had surveillance tapes that recorded a lot of conversation, but he knowingly kept that from the public citing “executive priviledge” 3. Court rules he has to release the tapes, but then he resigns 4. Gerald Ford “pardoned” Nixon of all charges, disallowing a federal investigation of his acts 5. A lot of people were angry at Ford, but he was attempting to avoid national disgrace c. Gerald Ford as President – Caretaker 1973-77 i. Nixon’s VP Spiro Agnew resigned over a previous conspicuous monetary donation, so Ford replaced him as VP. When Nixon resigned, Ford entered office, having been the only president to not run on the presidential ticket, yet serve. d. Election of 1976 – Jimmy Carter v. Gerald Ford i. Campaigned about honesty, as 43% of the people said they did not trust the government II. Foreign Policy of the 1970s a. Kissinger’s (Nixon’s Sec’y of State) 3 part strategy -- détente with Soviets, normalization with China, disengagement from South Vietnam i. Détente (French: relaxation) 1. Limited arms-control pact of SALT I – still anything was better than nothing ii. Normalization 1. Easing of US trade restrictions to China a. Ping-Pong Diplomacy iii. Vietnamization 1. Withdrawal of US ground forces 2. But then invaded Cambodia because North Vietnam had been supply troops and supplies through them. à two riots in Jackson State College and Kent State 3. My Lai Massacre – 347-504 civilians killed à William Calley only person punished, only served 3 years under house arrest 4. Christmas Bombing of 1972 – heaviest bombing in history b. Expanding the Nixon Doctrine i. US foreign policy relied on staunchly anticommunist regional powers – Iran (Shah Reza Pahlavi), South Africa (apartheid), Brazil (military dictatorship) c. Congress withdraws from South Vietnam i. Signs a peace in 1973 to withdraw troops – spring 1975, North Vietnam defeats South ii. Ford vowed support of South Vietnam, but Congress didn’t back – NV takes over SV in 1975 d. Mayaguez rescue i. boarded by Khmer Rogue – bombed Cambodia and rescued the soldiers aboard the Mayaguez – brief approval increase (Jimmy Carter 77-81) e. Negotiating Disputes Overseas i. “Camp David Peace Talks” – Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty – brought them to the US to negotiate ii. China - Formal diplomatic ties with China on 1.1.1979 f. Iran & Afghanistan – Iranians seized 66 American hostages from the US embassy until we returned the Shah Reza Pahlavi who had come to US for medical treatment. i. This becomes an embarrassing failure for Carter ii. USSR invaded Afghanistan but we responded non-militarily and it made us look weak

III. Domestic Policy of the 1970s a. The Economy i. Endured “stagflation” economic stagnation (unemployment) and rising prices (inflation) ii. Abandoned fixed gold-to-dollar ratio in 1971, allowed dollar to “float” in international markets b. Social Policy i. Family Assistance Plan (FAP) – looked like socialism as it guaranteed each family a minimum of 1600 annual income. ii. Created “block grants” a portion of federal tax dollars to state and local govts that allowed them to disperse as they saw fit within broader guidelines c. Environmentalism 70 – creation of the Environmental Protection Agency – creation of Earth Day d. Kent State Shooting (May 4, 1970) i. Students were protesting the American invasion of Cambodia. The Ohio National Guard fired 67 rounds in 13 seconds, killing 4 and wounding 9. e. Title IX of the Higher Education Act (1972) - "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..." i. Schools must offer equal opportunities and provide equal benefit for men and women’s sports f. Roe v. Wade (1973) - The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the 14th amendment extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion – must be during the first two tri-mesters (from voldemort.com) (During Carter 77-81) g. James Schlesinger (Dept of Energy) to decrease US reliance on foreign oil – very unsuccessful i. Especially in terms of nuclear energy after the Three Mile Island incident ii. OPEC crisis – Arab nations attacked Israel, we defended Israel, so they stopped exporting oil to US - caused oil to jump from $1.80 in 71 to $30 in 81 h. A Faltering Economy i. Tax cuts and increased public-works spending was the best way to lower unemployment and inflation – FRB kept interest rates low. ii. Conservatives argued that minimum wage and enforcing safety and antipollution regulations drove up the cost of doing business. i. New Right – neo-conservatives – new political party that merged a lot of former parties i. Anticommunist, pro family, anti abortion/LGBT, “entrepreneurial liberty”, defended Israel in international politics (militarily even)