1. The Ford and Carter Years
AP US History

2. Gerald Ford Became vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned
Last surviving member of the Warren Commission

3. Ford Pardons Nixon
Ford, an unelected president, gives Richard Nixon a Presidential Pardon
Wants to begin the “healing”

4. CIA is investigated Dem. Congress searched for executive abuses
Accused of engineering foreign assassinations (Allende of Chile)
George HW Bush of Texas appt to clean up agency

5. “Whip Inflation Now” (WIN)
Ford tries to combat rising inflation (related to rising gas prices) by encouraging people to save energy (oil, gas, etc)

6. “Tight Money” Gov’t spending gets cut
Encourages Fed. Reserve to raise interest rates, restricting credit

7. 1973 Oil Crisis Yom Kippur War – Oct 6, 1973
Syrians and Egyptians attempt to recover lands lost to Israel in 1967 Six Day War
US gave $2 billion in arms to Israel

8. 1973 Oil Crisis (continued)
OPEC placed an embargo on oil sold to Israel’s supporters
Worldwide oil shortage, long lines at US gas stations

9. Domino Theory in Effect
1975 – Saigon finally falls to Communists
Cambodia also falls

10. Foreign Policy
Ford continues Nixon’s policy of negotiating w/ Soviet Union and China (detente, realpolitik)

11. Ford’s Greatest Accomplishment
Helsinki Accords
Series of agreements that promised greater cooperation between the nations of Eastern and Western Europe

12. Election of 1976
Ford won Republican nomination after close battle with Ronald Reagan (later hurt him in the polls)
Democrats nominated little known former Ga. Governor Jimmy Carter – Washington outsider

13. Carter’s Background Grew up on a farm US Naval Academy Submariner
Moved back to Ga following death of his father
Supported Civil Rights
May have cost him customers
Entered Ga politics
Contested first election loss in Georgia
Equality in education was an early goal

14. Election of 1976

15. Jimmy Carter Democrat wins election of 1976 by a narrow margin
Peanut farmer from Georgia

16. National Energy Act
Tax placed on gas-guzzling cars, removed price controls on oil and natural gas produced in the United States, extended tax credits for development of alternative energy

17. Economic Crisis 1979 – another fuel shortage OPEC raises prices again
By 1980, inflation up to 14 percent

19. Foreign Competition Changes U.S. Economy
Service sector expands rapidly
Overseas growth led to a complex job market

20. Carter and Civil Rights
Carter includes many African-Americans and women in his administration

21. Carter and African-Americans
Carter’s strong identification with African- Americans was interesting considering his background
Son of “Mr. Earl” – unyielding segregationist

22. Andrew Young
Appointed US ambassador to UN

23. Andrew Young (continued)
Frequently embarrassed Carter administration
Cuba – said Castro had troops in Africa to “oppose racism”
Defended Soviet trials of Jews
Said that Great Britain “invented racism”
In Playboy interview – called Nixon, Ford, and Lincoln racists

24. Andrew Young
Resigned after meeting with a member of the PLO

25. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Supreme Court decides that affirmative action policies are unconstitutional in university admissions

26. Carter’s Foreign Policy
Carter rejects philosophy of realpolitik
Favors a foreign policy based on human rights
Carter is inconsistent with his emphasis on Human Rights
Brazil, Argentina – NO
South Korea, Philippines – YES
Some thought this policy undercut containment (Nicaragua)

27. Panama Canal Many Panamanians resent US involvement in their country
1978 – US Senate agrees to turn over control of the Panama Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999

28. Panama Canal Treaty 1973 – Panama complained to UN – US used veto
General Omar Torrijos
J. Helms – drug dealer? Bribes?
Faced much Senate opposition

33. Carter and Brezhnev
Signed SALT II – provided for limits on the number of strategic weapons and nuclear-missile launchers that each side could produce

34. SALT II Breaks Down
Dec – Soviets invade Afghanistan – Carter refuses to push for SALT II agreement

35. Camp David Accords Israel and Egypt hated each other
1977 – Anwar el-Sadat (Egypt) and Menachem Begin (Israel)
Carter invited them to talk at Camp David (Maryland)

38. Camp David Accords (continued)
Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula
Egypt formally recognized Israel’s right to exist

39. Revolution in Iran
1979 – Ayatollah Khomeini leads rebels in overthrowing the shah of Iran (supported by US)

40. Hostage Crisis
Nov – students seized the US embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage
Led to 444 day crisis