Watergate and Nixon Presidents Carter thru Obama Unit 8 Watergate and Nixon Presidents Carter thru Obama

Watergate Start with break-in at Watergate hotel in June 1972 Goal- wiretap Democrats Eventually found out that Pres. Nixon had tape recorded conversations about break ins Supreme Court orders Nixon to give up the tapes Nixon resigns in 1974 after tapes are released (he knew he was guilty)

Woodward and Bernstein Plumbers and CREEP CREEP- Committee to re-elect President 1972 Plumbers- people who will break in and wiretap the phones Woodward and Bernstein Reporters from Washington Post who will uncover and report about break-ins Uncover government role in break-ins Secret Informant- “Deep Throat” Give them information to trace to President

Impeachment and Resignation Taped Conversations Nixon had taped conversations in Oval Office Ordered to give them up At first he refuses- eventually he will, parts missing US v. Nixon- ordered to give up tapes Impeachment and Resignation Brought up on impeachment charges Resign before the trial begins

Richard Nixon

Resignation August 8, 1974 Resign instead of face impeachment charges Later will be pardoned by President Gerald Ford (his former Vice-President)

Political Cartoon 1

Role of Woodward and Bernstein Reporters for Washington Post Write a series of articles about Watergate “Inside Sources”- man named Deep Throat provided them with information to help with their investigation Articles cause public opinion for Nixon to drop and call for the Senate investigation

Woodward and Bernstein

End of 70s Economic Problems Nuclear Power High Inflation- prices soaring Oil Embargo Embargo- OPEC countries refused to ship oil to US Created gas shortage and high gas prices Carter’s inability to lower inflation will lead to election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 Nuclear Power Expansion of nuclear power plants Three Mile Island- near meltdown of nuclear plant in Pennsylvania

President Carter Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) Camp David Accords Meeting with Egypt and Israel to sign peace agreement First President to get an Arab (Islamic) country and Israel (Jewish) country to talk peace Iranian Hostage Crisis Movie “Argo” US Embassy in Iran will be seized and hostages taken Hostages not released until Ronald Reagan becomes President in January 1981 Slap in the face to President Carter

1980s Domestic Events Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Conservative Republican Reaganomics Budget cuts- downsize federal agencies and social programs Tax cuts- cutting taxes would lead to people having money to spend and invest Increase spending on defense- see Star Wars program Effects Huge national debt created Social welfare cuts hurt the poor Trickle-down Theory Wealthy and businesses benefitted most from these cuts “Rich get richer and poor get poorer”

Other Domestic Events War on Drugs Reagan will start “Just Say No” and DARE programs Strict drug laws Sandra Day O’Connor First woman chosen for US Supreme Court AIDS Beginning of AIDS disease Pay Equity Meant to close gap between male and female earnings Olympic Boycotts US boycott 1980 Winter Olympic in Moscow to protest Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Soviets will boycott Summer Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles

National Debt

1980s Foreign Affairs End of Cold War President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) New Attitude- call Soviets and Evil Empire and spend money on new weapons Star Wars- program to build defense system using satellites (cost billions of dollars) Fall of Berlin Wall 1989- wall collapses and end of Communism in Eastern Europe Today- no longer Soviet Union

Europe Then

Europe Today

Affairs in Latin America Nicaragua and Latin America Reagan will charge Nicaragua with Soviet ties Support Contras (guerilla group involved in civil war) Grenada- Reagan send troops to overthrow the communist government that was friendly to Cuba Panama- Send troops to arrest drug lord Manuel Noriega

90s to Today

President George H. W. Bush 1988-1992 Persian Gulf War (1990) US along with UN forces will fight Iraq Goal- free Kuwait, which Iraq had invaded in August 1990 US oil interests in Kuwait Texas v. Johnson (1991) Supreme Court rules in favor of flag burning as a protection of 1st amendment rights

Election of 1992 Map Role of 3rd party (H. Ross Perot) Split in Republican vote will allow Bill Clinton to win

Bill Clinton- Domestic Events 1992-2000 NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) Free trade in US, Canada and Mexico Controversial- worry that businesses relocate to Mexico (pay lower wages) Monica Lewinsky Affair- go through impeachment trial and be acquitted

Other Events Standoff at Waco “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Texas- standoff with Branch Davidians and David Koresh “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy towards gay and lesbians serving in military If openly gay or lesbian, not allowed to serve Oklahoma City Bombing Attack on federal building in Oklahoma City Lead to conviction and death sentence of Timothy McVeigh

Foreign Affairs Under Clinton Somalia Troops sent to give relief to people suffering during Civil War Clinton withdraw troops due to war being unpopular in US Bosnia Troops sent in 1995 to help end Civil War between Bosnians and Serbs Ethnic Warfare in Balkan Region (just like Franz Ferdinand and WWI)

George W. Bush 2000-2008 Al Gore (D) v. George W. Bush (R) Questions over votes in Florida- key to the election Re-count the votes- Republicans sue to stop the recount US Supreme Court votes (5-4) on Dec. 12 to stop the recount Bush is declared the winner

Domestic Events 9/11 Attack on World Trade Center in 2001 Results War on Terror Creation of the Department of Homeland Security to investigate terrorism within the US and Abroad Patriot Act Gave the US govt. broad powers in gathering information about suspected terrorism (wiretaping phones, etc) No Child Left Behind Education reform- mandated testing and students being on grade level

Foreign Affairs Operation Enduring Freedom War in Iraq Fight to find and arrest Osama bin Laden and other members of Al-Queda terrorist organization War in Iraq Invade Iraq for 2 purposes 1- Find weapons of mass destruction which Iraq reportedly was producing 2- displace leader Saddam Hussein (eventually captured and put to death for Genocide against Kurds in Northern Iraq)

Barack Obama Healthcare Reform Guantanamo Bay Recession Close the military base in Cuba Recession Currently in economic downturn or recession Causes Housing crisis- main cause

Foreign Affairs with Obama End of Iraq War Killing of Osama bin Laden New threats????- Iran, N. Korea