1. America in the 70s-80s Ford, Carter & Reagan
Chapter 30 Sections 2-3
America in the 70s-80s
Ford, Carter & Reagan

2. Gerald Ford – 38th President of the United States
President Gerald Ford
Former Michigan Congressman and Vice President under Richard Nixon
Known for his honesty and hard-working attitude
Ford was the only person to serve as President who wasn’t elected either President or Vice President by the people
Gerald Ford – 38th President of the United States

3. Ford as President Ended Watergate scandal by pardoning President Nixon
Ford’s popularity dropped drastically
Proposed WIN – Whip Inflation Now (cut spending and energy usage)
Asked Congress to help South Vietnam when cease-fire broke in 1974
Negotiated the Helsinki Accords – spelling out basic human rights

4. Jimmy Carter as President
Elected as an outsider
Faced severe energy crisis (shortages of oil and natural gas)
Plagued by high unemployment and inflation
Panama Canal Treaty
Camp David Accords

5. Iran Hostage Crisis
Islamic leaders in Iran overthrew the Shah and installed a fundamentalist Islamic government
Nov – 52 Americans were taken hostage from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran
Americans blamed Carter for failing to secure the hostages’ return
Was Carter making the U.S. look weak in the world?

6. Ronald Reagan Elected President in 1980 as a Republican
Former actor and governor of California
Represented a more conservative voice for America
Iran Hostage Crisis ends with hostages released the day of Reagan’s inauguration
Survived assassination attempt

7. Reagan’s Conservative Goals
Lower Taxes (supply side economics) – People keep more of their own money. Business productivity would drive prices down (often called “Reaganomics”)
Lower taxes combined with increased military spending led to huge budget deficits
Economy grew at record rates / inflation fell / unemployment dropped

8. Reagan’s Conservative Goals
A Conservative Supreme Court – Conservative justices on the Supreme Court would use a strict interpretation of the Constitution – similar to Reagan’s beliefs
Reagan named the first woman to the Court – Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

9. Reagan and the Cold War Reagan strongly opposed Communism
He set out to reverse the “détente” policies of the past and confront the “Evil Empire” of the Soviet Union
But how do you defeat communism in the Soviet Union without risking nuclear war?

10. Reagan’s Solutions
Oversaw a huge buildup in American defense spending with 2 trillion dollars being spent over 8 years (on programs like SDI and the B-1 Bomber)
America’s defense spending caused the Soviets to match the trillions spent with build-ups of their own
When the Soviet economy couldn’t handle the budget deficits, Soviet leaders were forced to make concessions to the U.S.

11. SDI – Strategic Defense Initiative
Reagan’s SDI plan was designed to send U.S. missiles into space to intercept any incoming missiles towards our borders
Plan was dubbed “Star Wars” by opponents for its Science Fiction characteristics
The plan did require the Soviets to make concessions and respect our power – even though SDI was never put into place

12. Reagan and Gorbachev
Reagan met with Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss relations
The two signed several treaties that improved relations
The “leverage” created by America’s defense buildup allowed Reagan to “push” Gorbachev further on many reforms
Soviet Union collapses in early 1990s