Rest of US History

Richard M. Nixon ( ) 1. Had to deal with stagflation (stagnation + inflation), a situation where the economy slows, high unemployment and there is inflation, which produced difficult economic times. Hard economic times in the mid 1970’s, especially b/c of the Arab Oil Embargo and high energy prices 2. Oil prices jumped due to an Arab Oil Embargo in Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Rachel Carson writes Silent Spring that launches the environmental movement and exposes the abuses of pesticides in America)

The Watergate Affair -Nixon underlings caught breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel. Nixon refused to turn over tapes of the incident citing executive privileged. The Supreme Court ruled that had to turn them over. President Nixon forced to resign 5. SALT 1, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, US & Soviets agree to limit production of nuclear weapons, all part of Détente, eased Cold War tensions

Détente

-Gerald R. Ford ( ), Pardoned Nixon

Jimmy Carter ( ) Foreign Policy: 1. Placed an emphasis on Human Rights, Brokered the Camp David Accords bringing peace between Egypt and Israel., arranged to give back the Panama Canal. 2. Hostages taken in Tehran. Iran by the Ayatollah Khomeini, an Islamic fundamentalist. Unable to secure their release.

Gave back Panama Canal to take effect in 2000

Energy crisis “Malaise” Speech

Ronald Reagan ( ) Foreign Policy 1. Embroiled in controversy over giving aid to Nicaraguan rebel known as the "Contras." Money for this aid had come from secretly selling weapons to the Iranians (We were supporting Iraq in their war). Col. Oliver North was in charge of the operation. When questioned by Congress Reagan claimed, "I do not recall." 2. Begins the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) aka "star wars" defense spending program. Won the Cold War by spending the Soviets into the ground. Negotiated with Mikhail Gorbachev to help end communism in Russia.

Domestic Policy 1. Known as the "Great Communicator" he was a conservative who had much popular support. 2. Economic policy known as Reaganomics was a supply side spending program that called for tax cuts to the rich. These policies made the rich, richer. Takes deficit spending to a new level. The national debt soars from 280 billion to about two trillion dollars. (Increase military spending and cut social programs)

George Herbert Walker Bush ( ) Foreign Policy 1. Invaded Panama to depose dictator and drug kingpin Manuel Noriega. 2. Conducted Operation Desert Storm to oppose Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Liberates Kuwait, but does not remove Saddam Hussein. 3. Cold War ends- Berlin Wall falls, Soviet Union implodes

William Jefferson Clinton ( ) Foreign Policies 1. Signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) eliminating tariffs between the US, Mexico and Canada. Domestic Policies 1. Supported gays in the military but then backs down and endorses a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. 2. Second President impeached over lying under oath, not the affair with Monica Lewinsky (this is what caused him to lie) 3. Wife tried, but failed to pass health care reform. 4. Presided over a booming economy that created huge surpluses where the Federal Government balanced the budget and began to pay down the national debt.

Societal Trends US population shifts more to the South after WWII, called the Sunbelt American economy has seen the decline of manufacturing jobs and the rise of service sector jobs (secretary, bank tellers, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, waitresses) toward the end of the 20 th century poorer quality of Jobs, greater gap between the rich and poor results Upsurge of immigrants from Latin America, America is becoming more diverse “Graying of America,” the average age of America is getting older b/c of better health care and the maturing of the baby boomers demographic Computers have revolutionized the world and allowed information to move at the speed of light

Globalization- the world is becoming smaller and the culture is becoming more homogenized, like the US, a “McWorld” Global Warming Terrorism, 9-11 Multilateralism, the US acts with the rest of world in foreign policy like the 1991 Gulf War, or Unilateralism where the US invaded Iraq on its own recently Conservative Revolution- Led by Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s that opposed big government and the New Deal liberalism. Championed conservative family values and lower taxes. Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority established. Supreme Court- Bakke v. California Board of Regents, Affirmative Action is constitutional, a white University of California law student had higher test scores than minority applicants, yet was not admitted to the school.

-Michael Jordan “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.