1. Reagan, Culture Wars, and Recent American History

2. Women’s Rights Equal access to education, family, employment
Domestic violence
Control over bodies
Betty Freidan
NOW
Planned Parenthood
2-person family incomes
Affirmative Action

3. The Women’s Civil Rights Era?
Title IX and women in college sports (Ed. Amend. 1972)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Constitutional right to privacy
Women in politics
“Liberation”
Gloria Steinem & Ms. Magazine

4. Conservative Backlash, 1965-1980
Conservatives react against changes in America during the 1960s
American foreign policy
“Lost Vietnam”
Affirmative Action
Women’s liberation

5. The Growing Backlash 1978: Regents of U.C. v. Bakke
“Quotas” in college admissions were unconst.
1976: Hyde Amendment
Limited Medicaid funds for Abortion
Moral Majority, 1978
Southern Democrats become Republicans
Many working class Anglos or “White Ethnics” in industrialized urban areas, and new suburbanites blamed immigrants and the poor for their condition, as well as economic decline of “Americans”

6. Conservative ideology
Ignored global changes in economy that led to the decline of American manufacturing and industrial base
“Tax and spend” Great Society & War on Poverty
Creationism, “family values,” cut government, stop communists, end abortion, no immigration
Strong military / national defense
American global power
Individualism
Lead to “Culture Wars” & Reagan “Revolution…”
Religious Fundamentalism

7. Conservative Groups & Leaders
Barry Goldwater, AZ
Orrin Hatch, UT
Strom Thurmond, MS
Ronald Reagan, CA
Jerry Falwell
Phyllis Schafly

8. Jerry Falwell, 1974
"I listen to feminists and all these radical gals... These women just need a man in the house. That's all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they're mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They're sexist. They hate men; that's their problem."

9. Conservative Concerns
Conservative reactions to the “excesses” of the 1960s and 1970s
Lost control of America
Diversity =
Divorce, gay rights, abortion, day care, big government, & decline of the family
Stopped ERA
New “traditionalism”

10. American Malaise Soft America and “decline” of American power
OPEC and Oil Embargo
Stagflation
De-Industrialization
Iranian Hostage Crisis (Nov. 1979)
Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew Shah of Iran
50 Hostages for over a year
Failed rescue effort
USSR invaded Afghanistan (Dec. 1979)

11. Political Influence of the Christian Right
Groups like the National Conservative Political Action Committee and Reverend Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority pioneered the use of sophisticated campaigning and fundraising techniques such as direct mail. The influence and campaign tactics of Christian Right delivered a critical proportion of votes to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Rev. Jerry Falwall

12. Ronald Reagan CA. Governor Reagan Anti-communist “Black and white”
“New Day in America”
Charismatic
Channeled anger of mainstream white America at minorities, immigrants, feminists, taxes, affirmative action, big government

13. Election of 1980

14. Reagan’s Conservative Vision
Vietnam was a “Noble Cause”
Renew the Cold War
American Power
Patriotism
Traditionalism
State’s Rights
“Individualism”
Feel Good

15. “The Culture Wars” Abortion Immigration Affirmative Action
Bilingual Education
Multiculturalism
Communism
Homosexuality
Taxation
Church and State

16. Continued… HIV-AIDS Desegregation School Prayer Abortion
God’s punishment
Desegregation
State’s Rights
School Prayer
Abortion
Operation Rescue
Affirmative Action
Hand-outs

17. Reaganomics
The acendancy of conservatism in the 1980's can be partially attributed to the economic "stagflation" of the Carter years.
Reagan espoused supply-side economic theory.
Supply-siders favored simultaneous tax cuts and reductions in spending to encourage investors and entrepreneurs.
Conservative author George Gilder wrote, "a successful economy depends on the proliferation of the rich."

18. “The Speech”
Reagan's televised 1964 "A Time for Choosing" speech on behalf of the Goldwater campaign propelled the actor from corporate spokesman to conservative champion.
It became known simply as "The Speech."
Reagan outlined the goals of the modern conservative movement: smaller government, lower taxes, personal autonomy, and more aggressive policy toward Communist states.
He implies that liberal policies represent a dangerous shift toward socialism, even drawing parallels between Lyndon Johnson and Karl Marx.

19. Reaganomics
Reagan delivered an address to Congress shortly after being wounded in an assassination attempt.
In the spirit of the Reagan Revolution, he calls upon lawmakers to try a radical new approach to economic policy.
Congress members received him with applause and quickly passed the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (with cut taxes by $747 billion over five years) and the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981 (which in one piece of legislation, cut over 200 social and cultural spending by $136 billion over two years).
The tax cut was the largest in history.

20. Reaganomics: “Trickle-Down”
DOD spending up 45%
$3 trillion debt,
Rising # of Fortune 500 companies
Expansion of “working poor”
Decline in real wages
Household debt
Deregulation and Savings & Loan Crisis $500 b
Ketchup is a vegetable
Tax cuts boosted elite incomes
Privatization and deregulation

21. Impact on social classes?
De-industrialization
1 million manuf. Jobs lost in 1982
Growth of non-union service sector, minimum wage jobs
Unions lost millions of members
Federal subsidies to corporations

22. Recession and Rebound
A recession occurs when GDP declines for two or more consecutive quarters.
During a recession, production levels go down, the stock market is unhealthy, unemployment rises, and consumer spending declines.
By the middle of 1983, the economy made its recovery.

23. The Deficit and the National Debt
The hike in defense spending, and vastly reduced tax revenues resulted in a skyrocketing federal budget deficit .
By 1988, the interest alone on the national debt reached 14% of the annual budget and the United States became the world's biggest debtor.
Reagan’s goal to balance the budget by 1984 became infeasible.

24. Iran-Contra Affair, 1980s 1979 election in Nicaragua Sandinistas
U.S. opposed them
Sold military land & weapons to Iran (Khomeini), in return for release of hostages
Used weapons against Iraq
Gave $ to “Contras” who fought Sandinistas
Col. Oliver North
Illegal sale of US property w/o Congressional approval
Aid to Contras violated the Boland Amendments

25. US opposed Sandinistas in Nicaragua
Secret weapon sales to Iran
$ from weapon sales send to Contras
Contras fought war against Sandinistas
Destabilized both regions

26. Immigration 1964 law 1986 IRCA (Reagan Administration) Reasons
8 million legally
1986 IRCA (Reagan Administration)
Legalization
Nominal fines
Southeast Asia & Latin America
Reasons
Economics
Obstacles
Culture wars, racism
INS/Border Patrol, Operation Hold the Line, Gatekeeper
Propositions against bi-lingual education and public schooling, health care for undocumented immigrants

27. Cycles of Anti-Immigrant Fear

28. International Events End of the Cold War Reagan: “Evil Empire”
Mikhail Gorbachev
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Collapse of USSR
Reagan took credit for the end of the Cold War

29. Bush I to Bush II: The 1990s Post Cold War Unclear foreign policy
Who is the enemy now?
Focused on domestic issues
Gulf War
NAFTA
New Democrats
Balanced Budget
Immigration
2000 Election

30. George I: 1988-1992 Connecticut Family Director of CIA VP to Reagan
Invasion of Panama
Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq War
Over 60% of global oil

31. Middle East Persian Gulf War of 1991 Iraq invaded Kuwait
Sent 200,000 troops to Saudi Arabia (Desert Shield) warn Saddam Hussein
Increased troops to 430,000 and in February 1991 invaded Iraq to free Kuwait
Control of the media, “smart bombs”, and Colin Powell’s “overwhelming force” doctrine

33. Continued Americans with Disabilities Act Clean Air Act
Corporate Mergers
Computers, Autos, financial industry
Indian Gaming and Regulatory Act, 1988
Indian Casinos
1991 Rodney King, police brutality, and “riots / rebellion” in Los Angeles
Police acquitted
Over 50 died, $1 billion in damage

34. A “New Democrat”: 1992-2000 Arkansas Gov.
Working class, single parent household
Charismatic
Sexual issues…
Opposed Vietnam War
New Democrat
Fiscally conservative
Socially moderate
Multilateralism

35. Main Issues and Events
Tried to allow gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military
Failed. Cultural conservatives and military leaders opposed it. “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Tried to reform health care system to benefit the poor and uninsured.
Failed. Pharmaceutical industry, doctors, republicans opposed it.
Balance the Budget.
Succeeded. Returned taxes on the rich back to previous levels. Cut spending. Increased tax credit for low income families

36. Early 1990s Post-Cold War era Economic growth Deep political divisions
No communist “menace”
Base closures
Economic growth
Wealth discrepancies, “knowledge economy”
Demise of Unions
Deep political divisions
Ongoing “Culture Wars”
Global Warming and environmental pollution
Consumer Debt

37. “Contract with America”
1994 Congressional Elections
Newt Gingrich
Speaker of the House
Welfare “Reform”
Balanced Budget
More prisons & harder sentences
Defense spending
End abortion
39% voted

38. Continued… Bill and Monica Cover-up House: Articles of Impeachment
Senate: No
1993: North American Free Trade Agreement
1994: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
1995: Oklahoma City and Timothy McVeigh

39. The 2000 Election Most bitterly contested election in 100 years
Gore/Lieberman
Moderate populism
Shadow of Clinton
Bush/Cheney
“Compassionate Conservative”
Roughly ½ of eligible voters went to polls
Voting irregularities
Florida

40. The Aftermath…. Close election in Florida
Bush lead pop vote in FL, Gore wanted recount in 4 Democratic counties
Ballot irregularities, inaccurate registration, incomplete lists, old voting machines, butterfly ballots, hanging chads
Katherine Harris (R-Sec State & manager of Bush campaign in FL) refused recount, declared Bush winner
Florida Supreme Court approved recount
Bush appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
5-4 Court supported Bush and ruled against it
Gore won national popular vote
Bush won electoral college vote (Mainly because all ballots were not counted in FL, he kept the 27 electoral votes)

41. Bush II Reversal of Clinton’s policies $1.3 Trillion tax cut
Economic recession
Globalization and Y2K
Rolled back environmental protection
2000 census and multiple identities
Immigration, borders and cheap labor

42. US & Globalization
The very same capitalist system promoted by the US, exported globally, brought changes to the US
Immigration to US fueled by globalization and movement of capital, search for cheap labor
Global capital left the US, wages declined, cheap goods imported, produced by lower wage workers
Attack on unions, benefits, entitlements
“Wal-Mart economy”
Small population, massive resource use & pollution
2000 Mexico was second largest trading partner
Cultural intermixture vs. fear and reaction

43. September 11th, 2001 Attack on World Trade Center Nearly 3,000 dead
Islamic fundamentalists attacked symbol of economic and cultural imperialism OR economic freedom and opportunity…
Bush became a “War President”
Osama Bin Ladin

44. Invasion of Iraq, ???
Bush administration tied 9/11 attacks, Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to Iraq and Saddam Hussein
No ties, no links
Global terrorist threat and “Axis of Evil”
Remake the Middle East into pro-Western democracies favorable to the US
“Mission Accomplished”
War dragged on…Where’s Bin Laden?
Several trillion dollars

46. Election of Barak Obama
Constitutional Lawyer, Harvard Law Review
Bi-racial
Moderate/liberal
Economic crisis
Health Care
National debt
Crippled GOP

47. Conclusions History is who we are Multiple perspectives
Evidence, sources, argument
Skepticism and free thinking
People make history
Resistance and criticism are healthy
Multiple views of patriotism
Justice, equality, human rights