Today’s Standard SSUSH25 Explain the impact of the Carter presidency; also Roe v. Wade & the Bakke decision

The Presidency of Jimmy Carter 1977 - 1980

James Earl Carter, Jr. - A Different President 1) Jimmy Carter A) Had no national political experience B) A peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia C) A “down-home” approach to the presidency 2) Defeated Gerald Ford for the presidency in 1976 A) He walked through DC instead of taking a limousine B) He wore sweaters in the White House instead of suits C) He hired many more women and minorities than previous administrations

Roe v. Wade (1973) Before we get into Carter’s administration, we need to talk about some major social changes that affected the U.S. domestically 1) The Supreme Court handed down two major decisions in the 70s 2) The first we’ll talk about is Roe v. Wade in 1973 What did the Court decide in Roe v. Wade? 3) Women can legally have abortions during the first 3 months of their pregnancy

The Bakke Decision (1978) Regents of the University of CA v. Bakke (1978) 4) Over the issue of affirmative action Bakke was a white applicant to the University of California The school kept 16 out of 100 positions open for minorities only in their medical school He claimed “reverse discrimination” 5) “Positive discrimination” – showing favoritism to minorities and underrepresented groups 6) A) The Court ruled for Bakke B) Affirmative action is ok C) Quotas (allowing only a certain number), however, cannot be used

Carter’s Foreign Policies Carter wasn’t very successful with domestic policy, however he made some strides in foreign policy 1) They were focused mostly in the Middle East 2) Between the years of 1967 – 1973, the nation of Israel and other Arab nations had been at war One of these Arab nations was Egypt 3) In an effort to reach a state of peace, Carter intervened in the peace talks between Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin

Camp David Accords 4) The result of Carter’s efforts with Sadat and Begin were the Camp David Accords This treaty was written at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. Israel would withdraw troops from territory near the Egyptian border Egypt would recognize Israel and a full-fledged country

Trouble With Iran 5) Of all the difficulties Carter faced, the worst was the Iran hostage crisis Radical Muslims in Iran revolt The “shah”, or leader, has to flee and needs a place to hide In October 1979, Carter allows the shah to come to the US for refuge Iran is outraged 6) They take over an American Embassy 52 are taken hostage

The Iran Hostage Crisis Carter made several attempts to try and get the hostages but failed Hostages remain in captivity 444 days in all Carter’s popularity drops after this Hostages are released

The Election of 1980 Most analysts believe the hostage crisis caused Carter’s defeat 7) Republicans nominated Ronald Reagan Reagan defeats Carter in landslide

Carter’s Defeat 8) While Carter made great efforts abroad, many Americans felt he didn’t solve important problems we were facing at the time Energy crisis – oil / fuel prices skyrocketed due to the issues with Iran Inflation Unemployment These were domestic issues

Supreme Court Case Thinking Maps You will be given two (2) thinking maps to fill out about three Supreme Court decisions United States v. Nixon Roe v. Wade Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Use your device or one of the textbooks in the back to fill out the two thinking maps You may work alone or have ONE partner This assignment is BYOD approved – you may use your device