Ford and Carter Administrations

Today’s Objective  After today’s lesson, students will be able to…  Assess the Ford and Carter administrations  Essential Skill:  Explicitly assess information and draw conclusions

Political Cartoon  You are an American citizen on September 9, 1974 – the day after Ford pardons Nixon  Create a political cartoon that depicts how you may have felt at this time…keeping in mind the following events:  Watergate  Ford’s Pardon

Gerald Ford  Only president never elected to office  Pardoned Nixon “for any and all crimes”  Persistent stagflation  Economy gets worse  Continued Détente  1974 Helsinki Accords  Republican candidate in 1976  Defeated by Jimmy Carter

Helsinki Accords  President Ford’s most important accomplishment  Document was seen as a significant step toward reducing Cold War tensions  Also seen as a major diplomatic boost for the Soviet Union  Goal was to create greater cooperation between E and W Europe

Gerald Ford  A few ill-timed episodes of camera-range clumsiness, like stumbling down the steps of Air Force One in Austria, wiping out on the slopes in Vail, Colorado, and getting hit on the head by a passing chairlift

1976 Election

Jimmy Carter  “Washington Outsider”  Pro/Cons?  One term Georgia governor  Peanut farmer  Engineer  Devout Baptist  “I’ll never lie to you”  Controversial Pardons  More Stagflation  Energy crisis  Foreign competition

Carter’s Foreign Policy  Emphasis on Human Rights  Camp David Accords (1978)  Peace agreement between Egypt and Israel  Panama Canal Treaties  Panama Canal Zone returned in 1999  Resumption of full diplomatic relations with China (1979)

Carter and Détente  The Salt II Negotiations  Established numerical equality between U.S. and Soviet Union in terms of nuclear weapons  Highly controversial amongst Americans  Never ratified in Senate  1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan  First Soviet expedition beyond the Eastern Bloc since World War II  Officially ended the period of détente between U.S. and Soviet Union  Boycotted the 1980 Olympics

Carter’s Downfall  Iran Hostage Crisis  Context: During Ike’s administration  CIA helped to place Sha Reza Pahlavi back on the throne after government attempts to nationalize industry  1979 – Rise of Ayatolla Khomeini (militant Islamic Fundamentalist)  Shah overthrown  American embassy overrun (60 hostages)  Hostages released hours after Reagan takes office (444 days)

Problems at Home  Energy Crisis  OPEC and Rates  Creation of the Department of Energy  Three Mile Island  Economy  High inflation ( 13% )  Americans’ national morale/confidence low

1980’s Conservatism A direct response to the 1970s