1. A Crisis in Confidence and The Conservative Resurgence U.S. History Unit #18 Chapters 31-32

2. Silent Majority / Stagflation Silent Majority – Term used by Nixon to describe Americans who were “non-shouters, non-demonstrators”, the men and women who “work in America’s factories, run America’s businesses, serve in the Government, provide most of the soldiers, and give life to the American dream.” Nixon targeted these people in his campaign for President in 1968. Stagflation – Term used by economists to describe the dual conditions of a stagnating economy and inflation in the late 1960s and 1970s.

3. Stagflation

4. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries A group of mostly Arab countries that sells oil to other nations and cooperates to regulate the price and supply of oil; In 1973 during war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, OPEC stopped trading with Israel’s allies, including the U.S. As a result, oil prices rose 400% in the U.S. as oil shortages spread across the country, increasing stagflation.

5. Closure Question #1: How did Nixon respond to the economic problems he faced as President? (At least 1 sentence) Nixon fought stagflation in a variety of ways. Most dramatically, in August 1973, he placed a 90-day freeze on all wages and prices. The control worked for a short time, causing a spurt of economic growth. However, price controls do not work well in a free economy, and the economy went into a tailspin in the mid-1970s.

6. Southern Strategy / Affirmative Action Southern Strategy – Nixon’s goal to make the Republican Party a powerful force in the South; To win Southern voters Nixon nominated several conservative southerners as judges in federal courts and spoke out against the forced busing of students to integrate schools. Affirmative Action – A policy that gives special consideration to women and minorities in the fields of education and employment in order to make up for past discrimination.

7. Affirmative Action

8. Closure Question #2: In the long run, how successful was Richard Nixon’s southern strategy? (At least 1 sentence) By the 1972 election, Nixon enjoyed high approval ratings. Some of this popularity was based on his trips to the Soviet Union and China. Some was based on his domestic policies. Nixon ran a masterful political campaign in 1972, positioning himself as a moderate. He portrayed his opponents – George McGovern, an antiwar senator from South Dakota, and Alabama governor George Wallace – as extremists. (Wallace’s campaign was cut short when he was shot and left paralyzed by a would-be assassin.) Nixon and his Vice President, Spiro Agnew, successfully cast themselves as spokespersons for the silent majority. On election day, Nixon won almost 61% of the popular vote and nearly all of the electoral votes. He became the first Republican presidential candidate to sweep the entire South.

9. Watergate / 25 th Amendment / Executive Privilege Watergate – Scandal which culminated in the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974; Nixon ordered members of his reelection committee to break-in to the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. in 1972 to install wireless listening devices. The burglars were caught, leading to a 2 year investigation. 25 th Amendment – Part of the U.S. Constitution which states that if the Vice- President resigns, the President must nominate a replacement. V.P. Spiro Agnew resigned in the face of a corruption scandal in 1973, leading Nixon to nominate Gerald Ford as his new V.P. Executive Privilege – Principle that the President has the right to keep certain information confidential; Nixon attempted to use this reasoning in refusing to turn over taped recordings of his phone calls from the oval office. In United States v. Nixon (1974) the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon was required to turn over the tapes, which revealed Nixon’s involvement in Watergate. Rather than face impeachment, Nixon resigned on August 8 th, 1974.

10. Executive Privilege

11. Closure Question #3: Opinion polls taken before and after Watergate showed a sharp drop in people’s confidence in government. List two other results of the scandal. In pursuit of personal power, Richard Nixon damaged the reputation of the presidency and shook the public’s confidence in government. Polls revealed that from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, the percentage of Americans who believed in the truth of government statements plummeted from 80% to 33%. In the wake of Watergate, Congress enacted numerous reforms to try to restore the public’s confidence in government and to prevent abuses of power in the future. It established a procedure for naming an independent counsel to investigate charges against the White House. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 sought to limit the amount of money that individuals could give candidates in order to prevent the corruption of the political process. Yet, the Watergate affair also demonstrated that the nation could weather such a crisis. It showed the strength of the system of checks and balances. Both Congress and the Supreme Court had successfully checked the power of the President. According to Time magazine, Nixon’s resignation represented an “extraordinary triumph of the American system.” Watergate demonstrated that no person, not even a President, is above the law.

12. Closure Assignment #1 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 31, Section 1: 1. How did Nixon respond to the economic problems he faced as President? (At least 1 sentence) 2. In the long run, how successful was Richard Nixon’s southern strategy? (At least 1 sentence) 3. Opinion polls taken before and after Watergate showed a sharp drop in people’s confidence in government. List two other results of the scandal.

13. Gerald Ford / Pardoned Gerald Ford – President from 1974 to 1977; A star football player at the University of Michigan, a Naval cadet in WWII, and a 25-year congressman, Ford was chosen by Nixon as V.P. in 1973, becoming the only President who was never elected as either V.P. or President. Pardoned – Officially forgiven; Shortly after becoming President, Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as President. This decision led some to believe that Ford had made a secret deal with Nixon to become President, leading his popularity to decline dramatically. Closure Question #1: Should Gerald Ford have pardoned Richard Nixon? Explain your answer in at least 1 sentence.

14. Jimmy Carter / Christian Fundamentalists Jimmy Carter – Democratic President from 1977 to 1981; A one-time governor of Georgia, Carter was viewed as an honest Washington outsider with a strong Christian background in the election of 1976. Christian Fundamentalists – People who believe in a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible as the foundation of the Christian faith; Carter won the support of this group in 1976, which has become increasingly important in American politics.

15. Amnesty / Televangelists Amnesty – Political Pardons; One day after taking office, President Carter granted amnesty to all Americans who had evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. Carter hoped that this action would reunify the country after years of protest, however his decision brought fiery attacks from many Conservative Americans. Televangelists – Christian ministers who preach on television; During the 1970s televangelists, such as Jerry Falwell, attracted millions of American viewers. Closure Question #2: What arguments would you expect people to give for and against President Carter’s decision to grant amnesty to Americans who had evaded the draft? (At least 2 sentences)

16. Closure Question #3: How do you think Watergate affected social trends in the 1970s? (At least 1 sentence) Social and cultural trends that had begun in the 1950s and 1960s continued unabated in the 1970s. As a result, by the end of the decade, the United States was a very different society from the one it had been a generation earlier. These differences gave rise to an ongoing debate about the nation’s values. During the 1960s, radicals had challenged many of society’s traditional values. They questioned restrictions on premarital sex and drug use. They sported casual clothing and long hairstyles that many of their parents’ generation found improper. Yet the counterculture remained a relatively isolated phenomenon during the 1960s. By the end of the 1970s, in contrast, these behaviors had become more common. Nationwide, the divorce rate had more than doubled between 1965 and 1979, and twice as many children were born out of wedlock. To some Americans, the new ways were a sign of troubled times. Some critics called the 1970s the “me decade” because many Americans appeared to be absorbed with improving themselves. This trend was reflected in the rise of movements like Transcendental Meditation (TM), a practice based in Eastern religious ideas. Those who practiced TM sought to find inner relaxation and vitality.

17. Closure Assignment #2 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 31, Section 2: 1. Should Gerald Ford have pardoned Richard Nixon? Explain your answer in at least 1 sentence. 2. What arguments would you expect people to give for and against President Carter’s decision to grant amnesty to Americans who had evaded the draft? (At least 2 sentences) 3. How do you think Watergate affected social trends in the 1970s? (At least 1 sentence)

18. Helsinki Accords / Human Rights / Boat People Helsinki Accords – Set of agreements endorsed in 1974 by President Gerald Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev; The documents supported human rights (basic rights every human being is entitled to have) for all European nations. Boat People – Over 1 million Vietnamese who, following the collapse of South Vietnam to Communist North Vietnam, took to the sea in rickety, wooden boats. Many of these people were rescued and came to the United States and Canada.

19. SALT II / Sanctions / Developing World SALT II – American and Soviet agreement in the 1970s in which the 2 sides agreed to limit nuclear arms production. Sanctions – Penalties; Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, President Carter responded by imposing sanctions, including a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow & stopping grain sales to the U.S.S.R. Developing World – The poor nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin-America; President Carter broke with the previous belief that the developing world was a stage for the Cold War, instead believing that U.S. relations with foreign countries should be based on how each country treats its citizens.

20. Camp David Accords / Ayatollah Khomeini Camp David Accords – Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt which was facilitated by President Carter in 1977. For his role in the negotiations, Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize. Ayatollah Khomeini – Fundamentalist Islamic Clerk who, in 1979, led a revolt to overthrow the Shah (Emperor) of Iran who had been supported by the United States. The Khomeini government held the U.S. Embassy and the 52 Americans inside hostage for over a year. President Carter’s inability to free the hostages combined with continuing economic problems turned American public opinion against him.

21. Liberal / Conservative Liberal – Politicians who support government intervention to help the needy and “fix” society’s problems. Conservative – Politicians who support allowing the free market, private organizations, and individuals to deal with social issues.

22. Review Question #1 Would Sarah Palin be considered a Liberal or a Conservative?

23. Liberalism

24. The New Right A coalition of several different groups with varying ideals and goals that united to form a resurgent conservative movement in the 1970s and 1980s.

25. Review Question #2 Name two of the groups that made up “The New Right”.

26. Unfunded Mandates Programs required but not paid for by the federal government, such as the Clean Air Act and the Federal requirement that all American emergency rooms accept and stabilize any patient, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.

27. Review Question #3 Which political party was blamed for establishing most of the government’s unfunded mandates?

28. Unfunded Mandates

29. Moral Majority Political organization founded by Reverend Jerry Falwell in 1979 which worked to fulfill religious goals, registering millions of new voters in the 1980s who overwhelmingly supported Republican candidates. The Moral Majority opposed the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion, and condemned the Equal Rights Amendment and homosexuality.

30. Review Question #4 What is the name of the minister who founded the Moral Majority?

31. Ronald Reagan A movie actor and General Electric spokesperson, Reagan entered politics as a conservative Republican in the 1960s. After serving two terms as governor of California, Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980 and served as President from 1981 to 1989. Reagan’s 3 key goals were to reduce the size of government, strengthen the military, and support traditional values. Closure Question #3: Why did Americans elect Ronald Reagan to the presidency in 1980? (At least 1 sentence)

32. Review Question #5 Before entering politics, Ronald Reagan worked as a spokesman for what major American company?

33. Closure Assignment #3 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 32, Section 1: 1. Describe one major difference between liberals and conservatives in the early 1980s. (At least 1 sentence) 2. How did the Moral Majority help strengthen the Republican Party? (At least 1 sentence) 3. Why did Americans elect Ronald Reagan to the presidency in 1980? (At least 1 sentence)

34. Supply-Side Economics / Deregulation Supply-Side Economics – Also known as Reaganomics; Economic theory based on the assumption that if taxes are reduced, people will work more and have more money to spend, causing the economy to grow. Deregulation – The removal of government control over industry; A key feature of Reaganomics, during the 1980s the Reagan administration cut funding to agencies that oversaw American businesses.

35. Review Question #6 What is another name for supply- side economics?

36. Budget Deficit / National Debt Budget Deficit – The shortfall between the amount of money spent and the amount taken in by the government; Increased defense spending during the Reagan administration nearly tripled the annual budget deficit. National Debt – The amount of money the federal government owes to owners of government bonds. By 1986, the national debt rose to $2.5 trillion.

37. Review Question #7 In 1986, what was the amount of the national debt?

38. National Debt

39. Savings and Loan Crisis (1989) About 1,000 Savings and Loan banks failed because of fraudulent behavior and risky loans. Critics blamed Reagan’s deregulation policies for encouraging the banks to invest in riskier propositions. To prevent a broader panic, the federal government spent over $200 billion to bail out the bank’s depositors.

40. Review Question #8 What did the U.S. government do to prevent a further panic following the Savings and Loan Crisis?

41. Sandra Day O’Connor Nominated to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor was the first female Justice in U.S. history. A native Arizonan and moderate conservative, O’Connor served in the Court until 2005.

42. Review Question #9 Besides being the first female judge on the supreme court, Sandra Day O’Connor is also the first supreme court judge from what state?

43. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome The last stage of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which attacks the immune system of its victims and has no known cure. AIDS first appeared in the U.S. in 1981, spreading mainly among homosexual men and drug users. By 1994, AIDS had killed more than 250,000 Americans.

44. Review Question #10 In the early 1980s, what is one of the two groups of Americans that were most at risk for becoming infected with the HIV virus?

45. Closure Assignment #4 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 32, Section 2: 1. In what ways did Reagan try to fulfill the goal of less government involvement in the economy? (At least 1 sentence) 2. How did Reagan strengthen the conservative cause? (At least 1 sentence) 3. How did Reagan address problems with HIV/AIDS? (At least 1 sentence)

46. Strategic Defense Initiative Defense program proposed by Reagan in which land- and space-based lasers would destroy any missiles aimed at the United States before they could reach their targets. Critics dubbed the program “Star Wars”, claiming that it was unrealistic.

47. Review Question #11 What name did critics of the strategic defense initiative give to the program?

48. Contras Anticommunist counterrevolutionaries in Nicaragua who, during the 1980s, were funded by the Reagan administration in their fight against the Sandinistas, a Communist revolutionary force. Under Reagan, the U.S. supported similar groups in Afghanistan and El Salvador and sent U.S. troops to prevent a communist takeover in Grenada.

49. Review Question #12 What controversial anti- Communist fighter did the United States support in Afghanistan during the 1980s?

50. Mikhail Gorbachev / Glasnost / Perestroika Mikhail Gorbachev – President of the Soviet Union from 1985 to its downfall in 1991; Gorbachev reformed the Soviet economy and foreign policy, decreasing Cold War tensions by decreasing the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan and welcoming diplomatic relations with Reagan and the United States. Glasnost – Russian for “New Openness”; Gorbachev met with Reagan 4 times from 1985 to 1989, visiting sites in both countries “like old friends”. Both sides agreed to reduce nuclear arms production, and Gorbachev gradually allowed greater freedoms of speech and press within the Soviet Union. Perestroika – “Restructuring”; Gorbachev guided the Soviet Union’s move away from a socialist economy, adopting a model similar to the Chinese in permitting businesses to be owned privately, not just by the government.

51. Review Question #13 Through “perestroika”, Gorbachev may have hoped to model the Soviet economy after that of what other communist country?

52. Mikhail Gorbachev / Glasnost / Perestroika

53. Iran-Contra Scandal (1985) The Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran in exchange for Iran’s promise to pressure terrorist groups in Lebanon to release American hostages there, contradicting Reagan’s promise to refuse to negotiate with terrorists. The money from the sale was then used to fund the Contras in Nicaragua, despite a Congressional band on funding the Contras that was signed in 1983. News of these acts was leaked in 1986, leading to charges filed against some of Reagan’s aides, though Reagan himself was never accused of wrongdoing.

54. Review Question #14 The United States sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the promise that Iran would put pressure to release American hostages in what other Middle-Eastern country?

55. Closure Assignment #5 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 32, Section 3: 1. How did Reagan’s foreign policy differ from that of Carter? (At least 1 sentence) 2. During his first term, Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” but in his second term he developed a working relationship with Gorbachev. What accounts for his change in strategy? (At least 1 sentence) 3. Why did Reagan order an air raid on Libya? (At least 1 sentence)

56. George H.W. Bush Reagan’s Vice-President and 40 th President of the United States from 1989 to 1993; A Yale graduate, WWII Veteran, and former director of the CIA, Bush continued Reagan’s conservative economic policies while continuing to strengthen the U.S. military. Despite high public approval for his handling of foreign affairs, Bush’s popularity decreased due to an economic downturn in 1991 and 1992 and his handling of racial violence in America’s major cities.

57. Review Question #15 Before entering politics, George H.W. Bush served as director of what government agency?

58. Manuel Noriega Dictator of Panama and world-renowned drug lord who, in 1989, was overthrown and arrested by a force of 12,000 U.S. troops. Noriega was convicted on charges of drug trafficking and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

59. Review Question #16 Manuel Noriega was put on trial for drug trafficking in what country?

60. Tiananmen Square Located in downtown Beijing, China, Tiananmen Square was the site of pro-democratic protests by Chinese students in the Spring of 1989. On June 4 th, Chinese tanks rolled into the square, killed hundreds of protesters, and imprisoned thousands of prodemocracy activists.

61. Review Question #17 Tiananmen Square is located in the heart of what major Chinese city?

62. Nelson Mandela / Apartheid / Divested Apartheid – The system of racial segregation in South Africa which separated blacks and whites until the 1990s. Nelson Mandela – A leader of the anti-Apartheid movement during the 1950s and 1960s, Mandela was imprisoned from 1962 until 1990. Increasing pressure from foreign powers, including the United States and President Bush, led to Mandela’s release from prison. In free democratic elections in 1994, Mandela was elected President of South Africa. Divested – Withdrawing investment; Responding to South African apartheid in the 1980s, American businesses divested their holdings in South Africa.

63. Review Question #18 Nelson Mandela was the first black African elected president of what country?

64. Saddam Hussein Dictator of Iraq from 1979 to 2003; In the 1980s the United States supported Saddam in the Iraq-Iran War. However, following his decision to invade Kuwait in August 1990, the members of the United Nations formed a joint coalition to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

65. Review Question #19 International opposition to Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military followed after their invasion of what small Middle Eastern country?

66. Operation Desert Storm Name given to the American-led attack on Iraqi forces in Kuwait in 1991. Led by Generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell, the Iraqi army was driven from Kuwait in less than 6 weeks. Iraqi casualties totaled near 25,000, while the United States lost only 148. A UN cease-fire signed on February 28 th ended the fighting, and Saddam was allowed to maintain control of Iraq.

67. Review Question #20 For how much time was the United States military involved in Operation Desert Storm?

68. Closure Assignment #6 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 32, Section 4: 1. Why did President Bush respond differently to the crisis in Somalia than he did to the crisis in China? (At least 1 sentence) 2. How was the Persian Gulf War fought differently from the Vietnam War? (At least 1 sentence) 3. Why did the U.S. led coalition decide not to invade Baghdad or try to oust Hussein after driving Iraq out of Kuwait? (At least 1 sentence)