Gerald ford

1. Gerald ford • Ford became Vice President in 1973 when Spiro Agnew resigned due to extortion, tax fraud, bribery, and conspiracy charges, stemming from when he was governor, until he became Vice President. • Nixon nominated Ford as Agnew’s replacement, and he was confirmed with overwhelming numbers by both the Senate and the House. • Ford hadn’t even had a chance to move into the Vice-Presidential home before he became President when Nixon resigned in 1974 due to Watergate. • Ford became the 1st VP and President who was never elected to either post!

2. Gerald ford • One of Ford’s first acts as President was the pardon of Richard Nixon – saving Nixon from any further investigation or prosecution due to the Watergate Scandal. This decision was highly controversial! • Ford had two attempts on his life in the brief 29 months he was President • Ford continued Nixon’s “détente” by signing the Helsinki Accords – this recognized the existing frontiers between states – basically acknowledging Soviet dominance over Eastern Europe.

3. James “jimmy” carter • President Carter’s conservative government was a welcome change after the perils of Vietnam and the Watergate plumber scandal. He was down-to-earth, and didn’t play politics – he gave it to Americans straight, like FDR had.

4. Human Rights • Carter focused on human rights when it came to his foreign policy. He believed that if we promoted morality, as well as the freedoms and liberties guaranteed to all Americans, we could change the world. Because of this, he cut support of allied countries like Argentina and Brazil, because they tortured their own citizens. It also negatively impacted our relations with the USSR.

5. Panama Canal • As part of Carter’s efforts to promote human rights, he decided to give back the Panama Canal to the Panamanians. The U.S. had controlled the canal since 1914, dividing Panama in two. This helped strengthen our relations with Latin America.

6. Conservation • Carter’s policies for America focused on conserving energy and bringing us out of our economic slump. He presented more than 100 energy conservation measures to Congress, which oil, gas, and automobile states blocked. He also helped carry on with Earth Day, starting April 22, 1970 where schools around the country held environmental awareness activities.

7. James “jimmy” carter • Carter tried to ease the economic problems in America by removing price restrictions on American oil and natural gas, taxing gas guzzling cars, and giving tax credits for using alternative fuels – This act, and unexpected violence in the Middle East, led to huge gas shortages and inflation levels at their highest point in more than 30 years.

8. James “jimmy” carter • Jimmy Carter was considered a great negotiator. He engineered a framework for peace between Egypt and Israel called the Camp David Accords. Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed a peace treaty in March of 1979.

9. Camp David Accords • As part of the Camp David Accords, Israel agreed to move out of the Sinai Peninsula, which it had captured in 1967, and Egypt agreed to formally recognize Israel’s right to exist.

10. Iran Hostage Crisis • Carter’s downfall came in the Middle East. The ruler of Iran, the Shah, a notorious dictator and a U.S. ally, was forced out by a Muslim clergyman, Ayatollah Khomeini and his followers, who wanted to run Iran according to the Qur’an. The U.S. invited the shah here, for medical treatment, which angered the Ayatollah. Iranians took 52 American hostages from the embassy in Tehran in retaliation for US support of the Shah. They demanded the shah be returned in order to let the hostages go. Carter refused. He was unable to negotiate a solution to the hostage crisis. The hostages were held for 444 days, and were released the day Reagan took his oath of office.

11. Conservative Movement • When Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, it was a sign of the new conservative direction our country was headed in. Many citizens were tired of government spending, more than $300 billion a year on their programs! These people created the New Right – a group organized to protest reverse discrimination from affirmative action, return to prayer in schools, opposition to abortion, and other social issues.

12. Moral Majority • As many Americans became conservative, religion came to the forefront. Televangelists such as Jerry Falwell became extremely influential. Falwell formed the Moral Majority, a group of Christians who took the Bible literally, and believed in absolute standards of right and wrong when it comes to attitudes and behaviors. They formed networks and sent out mass mailings trying to bring back traditional family values, lower divorce rates, and generally revive patriotism.

13. Ronald Reagan • Reagan immediately initiated his recovery program for the Carter inflation when he took office- it was called supply-side economics. It aimed to reduce taxes and government spending to leave more money in the hands of American citizens, who would buy more and stimulate the economy. Journalists dubbed the program “Reaganomics.”

14. Reaganomics Downsizing federal government: deep cuts in social programs (welfare, Medicaid, mass transit) Cut taxes to save more money in banks, which could be loaned to businesses which could then increase productivity, increasing supply of goods, making prices drop

15. Star Wars • Reagan’s defense policies included the Strategic Defense Initiative, or “Star Wars,” which was designed to have satellites in space target and intercept missiles after launch but before they hit their targets. The idea was not technologically feasible, and way too expensive to put into action.

16. The New courts • During Reagan’s Presidency, he got to appoint nearly half of the Federal and District Appeals judges, and 3 of the 9 Supreme Court Justices, including the 1st woman Justice – Sandra Day O’Connor. This shifted court and legal policy dramatically to the right. Our nation headed into its most conservative era ever.

17. Easing tensions with the USSR • Mikhail Gorbachev led the USSR from 1985 thru 1991. His main goal was to rework the Soviet governments to flush our corruption and incompetence.

18. Gorbachev • His main policies were: • Perestroika – rebuilding of society and the economy. Getting rid of corrupt and faulty practices and politicians. • Glasnost – (publicity) Openness in the government to the media – to help keep the government honest and flush out corruption. He eroded the authoritarian controls, but he also left no alternatives in place – leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

19. Cold War 1980s • While the Cold War was collapsing in the USSR, more than 100,000 Chinese pro-democracy student demonstrators were getting active in China. The Chinese communist government violently suppressed the protestors at Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, killing anywhere from 200-3000 protestors (depending on whose numbers you believe). The international media publicized the brutality, causing international condemnation of China.

20. Trouble in Nicaragua • When Sandinista rebels overthrew the government of Nicaragua, a gov’t that we’d supported, Reagan withdrew aid to them and instead started supporting Contras, guerilla forces who were against the Sandinistas. The CIA moved in to support our actions, with aid from Reagan’s administration, but without Congressional approval. By 1990 Nicaragua held free elections, where a Contra supporter was elected President.

21. Iran Contra • When terrorist groups with ties to Iran took American hostages in Lebanon, Reagan denounced Iran. However, he then turned around and sold Iran weapons when they promised to get the hostages released, and used the money from the sale of arms to support the Contras. This violated a congressional ban against helping the Contras. The resulting Iran Contra scandal reflected negatively on Reagan’s Presidency, as many members of his administration were indicted. Bush later pardoned most of them.

22. Changes in America • In the 1980’s – the AIDS virus came to world attention when it started spreading in such mass numbers that they called it a world-wide epidemic. What made it worse was that there was no cure. • In the 1980s, the sale of microcomputers became a reality – computers small enough that the average person could keep it in their home.The Apple Macintosh was the first personal computer that was sold and considered to be “user-friendly.”

23. Cold War 1980s • As communism in the Soviet Union collapsed, Gorbachev issued a statement to Soviet satellite nations saying Soviet troops would no longer enforce the communist regimes. All Eastern European countries were now responsible for enforcing communism on their own!

24. Cold War 1980s • The East German government lifted travel and emigration restrictions to West Germany on November 9, 1989 – leading to a mass congregation at the Berlin Wall, which was quickly dismantled.

25. George bush • George Bush’s aim was a kindler, gentler government. His campaign promised “NO NEW TAXES,” which lost in a struggle to reign in the deficit from Reagan’s administration. • Economically we ended up in a recession, with tax hikes, and an even higher deficit.

26. George Bush • Bush and later Presidents faced social security shortages due to the backlash of the 1950’s baby boom era.

27. George Bush • In 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded the small country of Kuwait and took it over. This put him in a position to control nearly ½ of the world’s oil reserves.

28. George Bush • Bush, with tentative help from the UN, sent troops into Kuwait, with the aim of getting Hussein’s troops out. This was called Operation Desert Storm, or the Persian Gulf War.

29. George Bush • Once the ground war began in Operation Desert Storm, it was over within 100 hours. General “Stormin”Norman Schwarzkopf led the forces to the quick victory.

30. Bill Clinton • The election of 1992 was a close race between moderate Democrat Bill Clinton, conservative George Bush, and Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot. The biggest decision Americans had to make was, who was going to pull us out of this recession. Clinton’s “middle of the road” approach won him the election with 43% of the vote.

31. Healthcare • One of Clinton’s promises to America was to create affordable healthcare that would be guaranteed to all Americans. The first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was put in charge of the bill creation, which was presented in 1993. The bill was heavily debated for a year, but ended up being scrapped because it promoted “big government.”

32. NAFTA • Under Clinton, for the first time in decades, government spending was cut, and the federal budget had a surplus. The economy was booming, tax revenues rose, and fewer people were on public aid. • Considering trade to be vital to America’s economic prosperity, Clinton championed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which opened trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. This increased trade, but caused major controversy over Mexico’s lower wages and environmental pollution.

33. Newt Gingrich • Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, detested Clinton’s policies, and drafted a “Contract with America,” stating that if Republicans won control of Congress in 1994, he promised balanced budget amendments, tax cuts, term limits, tough crime laws, and welfare reform. • In 1994, Republicans took control of Congress. Clinton and Congress clashed so often, the federal government actually shut down several times over clashes on budget changes and federal programs.

34. Crime and Terrorism • As government wrestled in Washington, crime and terrorism were spreading around the U.S. • In 1993 terrorists tried to blow up the World Trade Center in NYC by setting up car bombs in the underground garage – the towers withstood the explosion. • In 1999, students at Columbine High School went on a shooting rampage, killing 13 and wounding 23 before shooting themselves.

35. Oklahoma City • In 1995, Gulf War vet Timothy McVeigh bombed a federal office building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 men, women and children. His execution for the crime was the first use of the federal death penalty since the Red Scare.

36. Impeachment • As Clinton started compromising with Congress – he was able to win the 1996 re-election. • Unfortunately, just as Americans were starting to trust the President, scandal rocked the White House. • Clinton was accused of using funds from a land deal with the Whitewater Development Company for use in his campaign for governor. Kenneth Star was appointed to investigate the matter, and took the investigation beyond Whitewater.

37. The Intern • As Starr investigated, he found out that Clinton had had improper relations with a young White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Clinton then lied under oath about the relationship. • Though Americans agreed with the job he was doing, the House voted to impeach him on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. • The Senate vote fell short of the 2/3 majority needed to take him out of office. Clinton apologized for his actions.

38. 1990s Overview • The 1990s is a decade known for it’s technology explosion. With the invention and rapid advancement technology – populations around the world became connected through the internet and email. • People rapidly gained and lost fortunes in technology fields and on the internet. • Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, became one of America’s first billionaires.

39. 1990s Culture • Teenagers and young adults in the 1990s started checking out of popular society, and started new movements of their own. • The biggest counterculture movement of the 1990s was the grunge movement – spearheaded by Nirvana, and originating in Seattle. This movement showed the apathy of young adults to politics, and society.

40. W • The 2000 presidential race between Vice-President Al Gore, and George W. Bush, became one of the closest races in history. • The race came down to the electoral votes in Florida. Gore won the popular vote, and after recounts in Florida, Bush became President due to Florida’s electoral votes.

41. 9/11 • As Bush, still under controversy, took over the reigns as President, America fell under the worst terrorist attack in our history. • September 11, 2001, coordinated terrorist attacks hit the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. • Bush’s response was to declare war on terror, which would take the U.S. into war in the Persian Gulf for the second time in a decade.