Simpson 1

Becca Simpson
Harkins
U.S. History
Crisis of Change
Election of 1960

GOP Nominee: Richard M. Nixon

VP under Ike
Democratic Nominee: John F. Kennedy
The two appeared on TV for the great debates
Kennedy benefited from the debates
JFK won one of the closest elections in history
Kennedys Foreign Policy

Bay of Pigs: the US supplied money and arms to anti-Castro Cubans

1500 anti-Castro troops land at the Bay of Pigs
Terrible defeat- 1200 troops captured
Berlin Wall

(Aug. 1961) Russia sealed off East Berlin/East Germany from West Berlin by erecting a wall
1500 troops sent to W. Berlin- Western powers would not give in- Krushchev backed down
The Cuban Missile Crisis

(Summer 1962) USSR began to move ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads into Cuba
JFK: ordered a naval blockade on all offensive military equipment on the way to Cuba
Missiles were dismantled and removed from Cuba
US pledged not to invade the island
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Outlawed nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, or underwater

The first step towards mutual arms reduction
Does not last
Peace Corps

Volunteers that helped work in underdeveloped countries

Was not the success people had hoped it would be
Deepening involvement in Vietnam

Diem: Leader of South Vietnam

Kennedy supported Diem- sent advisors to train S. Vietnamese Army
(1963) Diem is overthrown and murdered- 16000 Americans in S. Vietnam

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Assassination of JFK and the Warren Commission

Death in Dallas
Feelings towards JFK in Dallas were bitter
(Nov. 22, 1963) Pres. motorcade passed through the city
Dealey Plaza- shots heard- President Kennedy was shot in both the neck and head
He was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead
Lee Harvey Oswald: seized for the crime
Oswald- gunned down by Jack Ruby
The Warren Commission

Chief Justice Earl Warren: headed a commission investigating the shooting

Conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby acted alone
Johnsons Domestic Program

LBJs honeymoon
Tax Cut- originally asked for by Kennedy
Lowered taxes by 11.5 million
Economic Opportunity Act
War on Poverty- set up job and work training programs
Election of 1964

Republican Nominee: Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona

Democratic Nominee: LBJ
LBJ wins easily
The Great Society

Was a program of social reform

Civil Rights Act of 1964
Forbade racial discrimination/segregation in the use of federal funds and in most places of public

accommodation
Equal access to: restaurants, parks, libraries, and theaters
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: sought to protect Af. Am. rights to jobs
Medicare

Citizens over 65- received low cost hospital insurance

Financed by the federal government (tax)
Medicaid

Federal government financed health care (to states) to help needy people (welfare recipients living below
the poverty line) below the age of 65
Elementary and Secondary Education Act

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$1.3 billion for aid to education

Could not receive aid unless schools obeyed laws against segregation
Voting Rights Act

Increased the number of black voters by 50%

Outlawed measures used to suppress minority votes
Johnsons Foreign Policy

Deeper involvement in Vietnam- The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

(Aug. 2 and 4th, 1964) Two US destroyers attacked by N. Vietnamese gunboats
Tonkin Gulf Resolution allowed the President to expand war powers in Vietnam
Could repel any armed attack
Why we were in Vietnam

(Jan. 1965) LBJ sent 20,000 more troops to help the 27,000 already there
Domino Theory- if S. Vietnam fell to communism so would the rest of Southeast Asia
To stop aggression and protect our reputation
(Dec. 1965) 185,000 American troops in S. Vietnam
Effects of Vietnam on the Election of 1968

LBJ decided not to run for a second term as a result of the Vietnam War
Robert F. Kennedy- assassinated after winning the California primary
Sirhan Sirhan fired the fatal shots
Election and Results

Democratic Nominee: Hubert H. Humphrey

Bitter fighting between Democrats at the convention in Chicago
Republican Nominee: Nixon
Am. Independent Party: Gov. George C. Wallace- Alabama
Nixon wins close election
Globalization
Nixons Domestic Affairs

Moonwalk
Space programs pushed for many years
Goal: put a man on the mood by the end of the decade
Apollo 11: Command ship for Aldrin, Armstrong, and Collins
Eagle: Lunar Module
(July 20, 1969) Eagle lands on the moon
Both Aldrin and Armstrong walked on the moon, Armstrong is the first man on the moon
Domestic Policy

Cut costs of government and balance the budget

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Made from Supreme Court appointments

Democrats in control of Congress; Nixon had trouble reaching his goals
Foreign Affairs During Nixons First Term

Vietnamization: slowly bring American troops home and turn war over to the South Vietnamese
Anti-War Protests
Opposition mainly occurred at colleges/universities
Kent St. University- 4 students killed by National Guard
My Lai Massacre

US troops- killed 300 civilians in village of My Lai

Most of those killed were women and children
The military attempted to cover it up
S.A.L.T. I Agreement

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (S.A.L.T.)

Limited nuclear arms development
Detente: french term- Nixon used the word to describe the reduction of tensions between US and USSR
Election of 1972

Republican Nominee: President Nixon

Democratic Nominee: George McGovern
Nixon wins landslide
Foreign Policy During Nixons Second Term

Secret Cambodian Bombings (1965-1973)

Bombed suspected Viet Cong bases in Cambodia (Operation Menu (1969-1970))
Congress and public were not told
Vietnam Bombing Intensifies

(March 1972) Thousands of North Vietnamese invade South Vietnam

US response: bombing raids across Indochina
US Aid to Israel (1973)

(Oct 1973) Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur (Yom Kippur War)
Nixon aided the Israelis with various supplies
First Arab Oil Embargo (1973)

Arab response to US aid to Israel: embargoed oil shipments

US- faced with gasoline shortages + higher prices
Domestic Affairs during Nixons Second Term

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Watergate: a special investigations unit, Plumbers, broke into the Democratic National Committee

Headquarters in the Watergate office building

Caught- Nixon attempted a cover up
Reporter Bob Woodward, Washington Post, broke the story
Nixon Under Pressure

Ervin Committee: Investigated the Watergate situation

Nixon: fired two top aides
Tape recorded conversations- hurt Nixon
Resignation of Agnew

VP Agnew: accused of serious crimes

Resigned and pleaded no contest to tax evasion
Nixon: nominated Gerald R. Ford as VP
Resignation of Richard Nixon

Supreme Court ruling- Nixon had to hand over tapes

Nixon- knew he would be impeached
(Aug. 9, 1974) Nixon resigned the Office of President
Domestic Problems of Gerald Ford

Nixon Pardon
Pres. Ford: Granted a full pardon to Nixon
Pardoning Nixon lost Ford much public support
Problems with Congress
Ford: had problems dealing with Democratic Congress
Foreign Affairs during Ford Administration

S. Vietnam never took control of Vietnam War; US evacuates S. Vietnam in Oct. 1975
Arab Oil Embargo
Lasting Effects: OPEC, fuel efficiency, speed limit
Alaskan Pipeline completed
Election of 1976

Republican Nominee: Pres. Ford

Democratic Nominee: Jimmy Carter- Gov. of Georgia
Carter wins close election
Carters Presidency

Foreign Policy
Main goal: promote human rights
S.A.L.T. II: attempted, but never came
Domestic Policy

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Energy Crisis: Carter dealt with the problem by creating the Dept. of Energy
Three Mile Island Accident (1979):feared radiation leak
International Problems

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

US response: Embargo of grain to the Soviets and boycott 1980 Olympics in Moscow
(Nov. 4th, 1979) Iran Hostage Crisis
Angry mob invaded US Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American hostages
Lasted 444 days
Middle East problems continued
Egypt and Israel met at Camp David to discuss peace
Result: Camp David Accords- East. official diplomatic relations between Egypt and Israel
Neoconservatism
Election of 1980

Republican Nominee: Ronald Reagan- Gov. of Calif.

Democratic Nominee: Pres. Carter
Reagan wins easily
Reagans Domestic Policy

The Economy
Took over during a time of stagflation- a combination of high unemployment and high inflation
The Solution:
Cut many domestic programs; increased spending on military defense
Dismantle the welfare state and shrink the size of the federal gov.
New Federalism- shifting responsibility for many social programs to the states
Supply-side or trickle down economics- tax cuts to businesses and wealthy individuals
The Results:
The biggest economic expansion in history up to that time
Median income grew 15%
5 million new businesses were formed
20 million new jobs were created
By 1989, the unemployment rate dropped to 55%
The Reagan Doctrine

A policy of supporting guerrilla groups that were fighting to overthrow Communism or pro-Soviet

governments
Reagan Doctrine
Supported Afghanistan guerrillas
Supported anti-Sandinista guerrillas in Nicaragua
Sent American troops to Grenada
Election of 1984

Reagan wins an overwhelming landslide over Walter Mondale

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Sandra Day OConnor

Appointed to the Supreme Court by Reagan

First woman to serve on the court
Troubles Abroad

Wanted to stop Communism and saw the Soviet Union as the focus of evil in the modern world
Peace through strength
(1983) Marine Headquarters blown up in Lebanon
241 American Marines were killed in the terrorist attack
They were sent there on a peacekeeping mission
(Oct. 1983) Grenada- after a military coup, a government sympathetic to Communist Cuba was

established
US invades Grenada- did not want another Communist country in Western Hemisphere
Iran Contra

Iran Contra Scandal: US sold arms to Iran; Reagan- wanted to free hostages being held in the Middle East
The money went to help support contra rebels in Nicaragua
Election of 1988

Republican Nominee: George H. W. Bush- Vice President under Reagan

Democratic Nominee: Michael Dukakis- Governor of Massachusetts
Bush wins easily
Foreign Issues Under Bush

(1989) Berlin Wall comes down

(1991) The Soviet Unions Communist government collapses
The Cold War comes to an end
Persian Gulf War

Iraq seized Kuwait

(Aug. 2, 1990) Iraq invades and takes Kuwait
US- sent forces to protect Saudi Arabia
The Allies attack
Operation Desert Storm: US and Allies attack (Jan 17, 1991)
Iraq agreed to withdraw after 42 days of fighting
Clinton Presidency

Domestic Policy
Struggled with both health care and gays in the military
He and the Republican Congress passed legislation requiring a balanced budget
Attempted to reduce deficit
(Dec. 1998) Impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice
Foreign Policy

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NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

Eliminated tariffs and other barriers to trade with Canada and Mexico
Election of 2000

Republican nominee: George Bush- Gov. of Texas

Democratic nominee: Al Gore- VP under Clinton
Bush wins one of the closest elections in history
Came down to Florida- Bush won by 537 votes
9/11

Al-Qaeda terrorist group- responsible for the attack

Coordinated attack- 4 US commercial planes hijacked
2 flew into the World Trade Center (NYC), 1 flew into the Pentagon, 1 crashes in PA
2996 died