Nixon, Watergate, Social Movements

Detente

Eased Cold War tensions.

Visit to China (1972)

Opened diplomatic relations with the Communist nation, putting pressure on the Soviet Union.

Triangular Diplomacy

Strategic engagement with both China and the Soviet Union to gain leverage over each.

SALT I Treaty

Limited the number of nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and USSR.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's campaign used this slogan to attract white Southern Democrats by appealing to their frustration with civil rights reforms.

Watergate Scandal

Break-in at Democratic National Committee HQ (Watergate Hotel) by Nixon's re-election campaign team (CREEP).

Causes of Watergate Scandal

Nixon's desire to win re-election and paranoia about leaks (like the Pentagon Papers).

Consequences of Watergate

Tapes revealed Nixon's attempt to cover up the break-in; investigative reporting uncovered much of the truth.

Nixon's Resignation

Nixon resigned in 1974, the first U.S. president to do so.

Mistrust in Government

Led to greater mistrust in government due to the Watergate scandal.

Causes of Stonewall Riots (1969)

Police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in NYC, and constant police harassment and discrimination.

Biggest Victory of LGBTQ+ Rights

Marriage Equality: Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

AIDS Crisis

Misunderstood in the 1980s; many thought it only affected gay men, and government was slow to respond.

Ryan White

A 13-year-old hemophiliac who helped change public opinion about AIDS.

True or False about Abortion in 2023

In 2023, abortion remains legal in all 50 states → False (due to Dobbs decision).

Betty Friedan

Wrote The Feminine Mystique (1963); criticized women's roles as only housewives and helped found NOW.

Gloria Steinem

Founded Ms. Magazine in 1971 to promote feminist ideas and was a leader in women's liberation.

Shirley Chisholm

In 1968, became the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress and ran for President in 1972.

Phyllis Schlafley

Led opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and argued it would hurt traditional family roles.

Feminism

The belief that men and women should be equal politically, economically, and socially.

Women's Liberation Movement

1960s movement of women discontent with their roles and treatment.

ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)

Proposed amendment to guarantee equal rights for women, defeated largely due to Phyllis Schlafley's campaign.

NOW

National Organization for Women; fought for legal equality, education, jobs, and reproductive rights, with over 40,000 members by 1972.

Title IX (1972)

Prohibited gender discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding (especially in sports).

President's Commission on the Status of Women

Helped win workplace protections like equal pay.

Publication of The Feminine Mystique

An event that revitalized the Women's Movement.

Civil Rights Movement

An event that revitalized the Women's Movement.

Sexual revolution and activism of the 1960s

An event that revitalized the Women's Movement.

Political & Economic Gains in the 60s-70s

More women in Congress.

Increased access to higher education and jobs

A political and economic gain in the 60s-70s.

Legal victories like Title IX and support for reproductive rights

A political and economic gain in the 60s-70s.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide.

Supporters of Roe v. Wade

See it as reproductive freedom.

Opponents of Roe v. Wade

See it as ending a life.

Dobbs v. Jackson (2022)

Overturned Roe v. Wade and gave power back to states to restrict or ban abortion.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned gender discrimination and helped women's rights movement.

Major failing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Lack of proper enforcement.

Silent Majority

Conservative, often white, middle-class Americans who opposed the protests and cultural changes of the 1960s but hadn't been politically vocal.

Realpolitik

A practical, flexible approach that focused on national interest and power over ideological goals, including strategies like detente and triangular diplomacy.

Nixon's refusal to surrender the White House tapes

Claimed 'executive privilege,' arguing that releasing the tapes would compromise national security and presidential confidentiality.

The Stonewall Inn

Provided a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to socialize, dance, and express themselves freely.

Difference of The Stonewall Inn from other gay bars

Allowed dancing, which was illegal in many places for same-sex couples, and had a more welcoming atmosphere and a diverse crowd.

Why gay bars were targets for police raids

Homosexuality was criminalized, and laws restricted same-sex dancing or affection.

Local and federal governments' response to the AIDS crisis

Failed the public, especially marginalized communities, due to slow response, misinformation, and lack of funding.