On August 5, 1974, when the “smoking gun tape” became public, Nixon was told that he would not survive the vote in the Senate

Aftermath of Watergate  Gerald Ford became the nation’s 37 th president.  More than 30 government officials went to prison for their role in Watergate. Nixon was not one of them.  In September 1974, Ford gave Nixon a full pardon.  There was a public distrust of the government that continues to this day.

Carter and the ‘70s

On July 4, 1976, the United States celebrated its bicentennial (200 th birthday)

Election of 1976 In the 1976 Presidential Election, the Republicans nominated the sitting president Gerald Ford as their candidate The Democrats nominated a relative unknown, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, who had once been a peanut farmer In a close election, Carter defeated Ford to become the nation’s 39 th president. Texas was a key state in the victory for Carter. Gerald Ford, RepublicanJimmy Carter, Democrat

Election of 1976 Carter won 40.8 million votes and 297 electoral votes Ford won 39.1 million votes and 240 electoral votes

The Carter Years Jimmy Carter was liked by many because he was a Southern Democrat who was not a Washington insider But Carter’s Presidency was troubled by the Iran hostage crisis and an economic downturn

Middle East Turmoil  Trouble began in the Middle East following World War II with the creation of Israel.  During the wars, the United States supported Israel due to our close Judea-Christian ties.  The conflict led to two wars between Israel and numerous Muslim-dominated Arab countries

OPEC oil embargo OPEC is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and it was founded in 1960 by five founding members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. In response to the U.S. support of Israel, in 1973 OPEC placed an oil embargo on the U.S.

Gas Shortages The OPEC oil embargo led to gas shortages in the United States and throughout the world. Gas prices skyrocketed and people were limited to the amount of gasoline they could buy.

Gas Shortages Long lines and hours of waiting to get gas were common sights in the 1970s.

Iran Hostage Crisis The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the U.S. when 53 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981

Iran Hostage Crisis The hostages were taken captive by Islamic militants who took over the American Embassy in response to the U.S. allowing the former Shah of Iran to come to the U.S.

Iran Hostage Crisis The American hostages were held in captivity for 444 days and not released until after Carter was defeated in the 1980 election and left office.

Camp David Accords  One of the greatest achievements of Carter was in his foreign policy.  Carter negotiated a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt that was known as the Camp David Accords, signed in September  Carter’s work with foreign countries eventually earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Jonestown Massacre Americans were shocked in 1978 when The Peoples Temple, a religious cult, had a mass suicide that left nearly 1,000 people dead

Three Mile Island disaster The Three Mile Island disaster is when a nuclear power facility in Pennsylvania had a core meltdown. The meltdown led to radioactive gases being leaked into the air. The incident occurred in March of 1979 and was the worst nuclear power accident in U.S. history

Election of 1980

Pop Culture of the 70s Bellbottoms CB Radios Jogging Pet Rocks Disco

Pop Culture of the 70s All in the Family Happy Days The Brady Bunch TopTVShows Mary Tyler Moore Show

Pop Culture of the 70s Top in Movies

Pop Culture of the 70s Top in Music