 Chapter 27, Section 2

 Gerald Ford had become Nixon’s vice president when he was chosen to fulfill the spot vacated by VP Spiro Agnew. o This was a part of the presidential line of succession, established by the 25 th amendment.  When Nixon was asked to turn over the Oval Office tapes, he refused, citing executive privilege– the right of the president to keep certain things confidential. o In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in U.S. v. Nixon that the tapes did NOT fall under executive privilege. o Nixon resigned in an address to the nation on August 8 th,  In the wake of the scandal, the government passed legislation to restore the American public’s faith in gov.

 The American people viewed Ford as honest, but soon grew to distrust him when he pardoned Nixon– officially forgiving him of any crimes he committed. o Though meant as a way to unite the nation, it actually polarized the American public.  The economy continued to plague Ford, as it had Nixon. o Ford implemented a policy known as WIN (Whip Inflation Now). It encouraged personal saving and disciplined spending. o Because it was a voluntary program, however, it was not successful in helping the economy. (Sound familiar?)

 In 1976, a Washington “outsider” made a bid for the office. His name was Jimmy Carter, governor of Georgia. o He narrowly defeated Gerald Ford, but because many people distrusted professional politicians, it was enough to get him elected.  The support of the Christian fundamentalists helped propel Carter to the presidency. o They believed in a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible. o They had become a larger, more united voting bloc in the 1970s.

 Carter was soon criticized for granting amnesty (political pardon) to those who had evaded the Vietnam War draft. o Carter also faced an energy crisis and severe inflation.  Between 1973 and 1979, the price of gas rose from 40 cents to $1.20. o This stemmed from the OPEC embargo on Israel and its allies. o Carter encouraged Americans to conserve.  The growing export of Japanese cars to the United States also harmed the one-solid US automobile industry. Major companies like Chrysler had to be bailed out.

 Throughout the 1970s, US society underwent many cultural and social changes. o The demographics of the population changed: 1) more people moved to the Sunbelt (SW) from the Rust Belt (upper Midwest) and 2) an increase in immigrants from Latin America and SE Asia; o The divorce rate increased; o Out of wedlock births increased; o Traditional values were reaffirmed and expanded with a rise in televangelists– television preachers such as Jerry Falwell and ‘Pat’ Robertson.