1950s-1970s

 

I.                    1950s and 1960s

A.     Eisenhower (1953-1960)

1.      Housing Boom

a.       Cheaper, mass produced housing

b.      Home ownership up 50%

c.       Middle-income families move to suburbs

d.      Declining tax base in urban areas and decay of inner cities

2.      GI Bill

a.       Helps veterans go to college

b.      Helps veterans buy houses

3.      Economic Prosperity

a.       Demand for consumer goods all time high

b.      TVs and cars sold

c.       Refrigerators and appliances increase

d.      Gross Domestic Product doubled

e.       American dominated world trade

4.      Conformity

a.       Emphasis placed on it

b.      Unusual ideas were suspicious

c.       Fear of communism

5.      Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)

a.       Send troops to any middle eastern country that was defending itself against communism

b.      Continues containment

B.     John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

1.      New Frontier

a.       Inspired youth to get involved

b.      Elegance brought to white house

c.       Tax cut proposed

d.      Civil rights legislation

e.       Increased funding for education

2.      Problems with Cuba

a.       Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) failed

b.      Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) closest to nuclear war

3.      Alliance for Progress (1961)

a.       money offered to promote economic progress, land reform and trade in Latin America

4.      Peace Corps

a.       Program where Americans volunteer to live in developing countries

b.      Help local people

5.      Space Race

a.       1962 John Glenn orbits the earth

b.      plans to put man on moon before 1970

6.      Assassinated November 22, 1963

C.     Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1968)

1.      Great Society

a.       Opening up opportunities

b.      Improve quality of life for All Americas

c.       Civil Rights Act of 1964

d.      Voting Rights Act of 1965

e.       War on Poverty

f.        Economic Opportunity Act (1964) administer programs

g.       Job Corps (train underprivileged youths and help depressed areas)

h.       Medicare Act (1965) provides medical care, hospital insurance and post-hospital insurance over 65

i.         Aid to Cities (money for slum clearance, planning, rental assistance, reconstruction of buildings)

2.      Immigration Act of 1965

a.       Each country allowed 20,000 immigrants

b.      Cap on total immigration

c.       Preference to those with relatives in US already or with job skills needed

d.      Immigration from Latin America restricted for first time.

3.      Vietnam War

a.       Takes most of the money away from Great Society

b.      Heavy casualties, failure to achieve victory and home opposition

c.       Johnson does not seek re-election

D.     Culture of Sixties

1.      Youth Culture

a.       Rebelliousness

b.      Challenge to materialism

c.       Rock and Roll

d.      Experimentation with drugs and sex

e.       Hippies develop

2.      Anti-War Movement

a.       Protesting the war

b.      Draft opposition

c.       Lowered voting age to 18

d.      Protest at the 1968 Democratic Convention

e.       Big on College Capmuses

3.      Women’s Liberation Movement

a.       Wanted economic and social equality

b.      Betty Friedan writes The Feminine Mystique (1963) women as capable as men

c.       1966 National Organization for Women (NOW) formed

d.      more education opened to women

e.       1963 Equal Pay Act requires company to pay men and women same

 

 

II.                 1970s

A.      Nixon (1969-1974)

1.      New Federalism

a.       More conservative

b.      Social programs better on local level

c.       Turned over federal funds to state governments

2.      Economic Problems

a.       Rising prices

b.      Trade deficits

c.       Inflation

d.      Unemployment

3.      Foreign Policy

a.       Agrees to Paris Peace Accords (1973) and withdraws from Vietnam

b.      Re-Opens Relations with China (1972) visits China

c.       Détente (1972) visits Moscow aggress to SALT I

4.      Watergate Crisis

a.       1973- Spiro Agnew (VP) resigns due to bribe scandal

b.      Gerald Ford appointed new VP with congress approval

c.       Watergate Scandal (1972) workers for CREEP (Committee to Re-elect the President) break into Democratic Party Headquarters at Watergate complex in Washington, DC

d.      Nixon tries to cover up the investigation

e.       Watergate Tapes are discovered ( recordings of Nixon’s white house conversations) Nixon refuses to hand over tapes to Congress

f.        US v. Nixon (1974) SC forces Nixon to turn over tapes  President not above law

g.       Nixon Resigns

 

B.     Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

1.      appointed VP never elected

2.      pardons Nixon

3.      Stagflation ( high unemployment with high inflation)

4.      OPEC forms and uses oil prices against world

5.      South Vietnam falls to North Vietnam

6.      Helsinki Accords (1975) recognizes post-World War II borders and resects human rights

C.     Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

1.      Domestic Problems

a.       Energy Crisis ( created Dept.  of Energy, increased fuel sources)

b.      Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( after 3 mile Island accident for stricter standards for Nuclear Energy)

c.       Clean up toxic dump sites

d.      Stagflation  continues

2.      Foreign Policy

a.       Panama Canal Treaty (1977) returns control of the Canal Zone to Panama except for canal itself in 1999

b.      Camp David Peace Accords (1978) Egypt’s Sadat and Israel’s Begin meet and reach agreement.  Israel returns Sinai Peninsula and Egypt recognizes Israel

c.       Full Diplomatic relations with China

d.      Boycotts the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow over USSR invasion of Afghanistan

e.       Iranian Hostage Crisis (1978-1979) Shah Pahlavi flees Iran and anti-American Islamic Government takes over.  Holds US embassy staff hostage for 444 days Carter tries to get release but released after he leaves office