Chapter 28 - The Unraveling

Altamont (December 6, 1969)

free concert designed for the same counterculture as Woodstock music festival featuring the Rolling Stones that turned violent, resulting in the killing of Meredith Hunter. contrasted the idyll “peace and love” of sixties youth culture with the harsh realities of violence and chaos.

1970s Upheaval

period marked by political, social, and cultural turmoil in the US. discontent from the remnants of the failed Vietnam War, political scandal, and economic crisis plagued the decade. liberals felt social equality had not been achieved and the silent majority longed for a return to traditional values.

Vietnam Antiwar Movement (1963-75)

protests against US involvement in the Vietnam War. by 1967 demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands. the first war with direct media coverage of the causalities and atrocities fueled activism. US tried to claim victories but news sources reported the ongoing bloody stalemate.

Tet Offensive (January 1968)

communist North Vietnamese military attack in January 1968 on over 100 American and South Vietnamese sites, showcasing that even years after war the enemy could still strike at will, undermining all US administration claims of success.

1968 Presidential Election

Nixon (R) emerged victorious on a platform of law and order and a vague plan to “honorably” phase out US involvement in Vietnam, appealing to anti-war sentiment and the silent conservative majority. VP Hubert Humphrey (D) ran as LBJ did not seek reelection amid the Vietnam War.

Vietnam War Outcome

the US withdrew from Vietnam following the January 1973 Peace Accords. yet peace did not last. by 1975 despite nearly a decade of direct American military engagement, the North Vietnamese forces gained control of Vietnam, now under a communist government.

1960s Urban Riots

altercations of police officers and African Americans that spiraled into days of chaos and destruction. with tens of thousands destroying white businesses, millions of dollars in property damage, and dozens of deaths. notably Watts/Los Angeles (1965), Newark (1967), and Detroit (1967).

Racial Economic Injustice

despite political achievement in the 1964 Civil Rights and 1965 Voting Rights Acts, racial economic segregation continued through discrimination in housing, employment, and credit. In almost every city, Black neighborhoods became poverty traps few could escape.

1968 Assassinations

MLK Jr was killed on April 4 1968 in Memphis during a sanitation worker strike. Robert F Kennedy junior was killed on June 6 while campaigning in California. his death represented the last hope of liberal idealists for the 1968 president election.

1968 Democrat National Convention

fractured Democrat party DNC in August 1968, marked by protesters who turned violent as police clashed in full riot gear. media coverage of the brutality confirmed conservative fears that the political climate was spiraling out of control; they now desired stability and law and order.

Richard Nixon’s 1968 Campaign

focused on law and order, appealing to disillusioned voters after the turmoil of the recent riots and assassinations, and the ongoing Vietnam War. he linked liberals with violence and promised law and order, appealing to the silent majority and suburban Americans.

Détente (Nixon Doctrine)

Nixon’s foreign policy financially supporting allies without direct military. allies had to be self-sufficient in defense. reduced tensions with USSR and China through diplomatic relations, relieving Cold War tensions by 1973 through antiballistic missile and strategic arms limitations treaties.

Arab OPEC Oil Embargo (October 1973-March 1974)

oil trade restriction from the Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that launched US energy crisis. by 1974 the global price of oil had quadrupled.

Watergate (June 17, 1972)

political scandal involving a republican break-in at the DNC headquarters amid the 1972 election to install bugging devices. the subsequent cover-up was unveiled by the Washington Post. Nixon refused to produce incriminating tapes and resigned July 1974 facing impeachment.

President Gerald Ford

38th President, assuming office after Nixon’s resignation in 1974 until his defeat in the 1976 presidential election. known for his efforts to restore public confidence following the Watergate scandal.

Detroit Urban Crisis

post-WW2 automobile firms sought to reduce labor costs by automating and relocating to areas with low tax rates, anti-union right-to-work laws and low wages, closing urban factories and jobs. whites fled to the suburbs, but economic segregation left Black Americans trapped in poverty, reaching the boiling point in 1967 riots.

Rust Belt Decline

post WW2 automation and global competition led to the decline of heavy manufacturing in the Midwest and Northeast. cities like Detroit and Pittsburgh saw massive population loss to Sub Belt states and an erosion of the tax base. poor conditions perpetuated cycles of poverty.

Sun Belt

southern and western states saw economic, industrial, and demographic growth post-WW2 into the 70s. cheap, nonunionized labor, low wages, less regulations pulled northern industries and workers. business-friendly conservatism promised free enterprise and Protestant social norms. yet marginalized groups did not receive the prosperity.

End of Postwar Prosperity

by the mid-1970s growing international competition, technological inefficiency, declining productivity, and weakened unions stunted working class wages. tax codes became less progressive and incarceration coincided with cheap prior labor and less industrial jobs.

Sexual Revolution

at the start of the 70s sexuality was legally confined to patriarchal procreative marriage. yet the continued sexual revolution of the 60s challenged gender roles and nuclear family rigidity. cohabitation with marriage and divorce levels climbed. landmark rulings in 1973 established the sex wars.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

1973 Supreme Court 7-2 ruling striking down a Texas law prohibiting abortion. built on the precedent of the right of privacy as broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision to terminate her pregnancy. states could not interfere with an abortion during the first trimester.

Miller v. California (1973)

1973 Supreme Court 5-4 ruling that the First Amendment did not protect obscene sexual conduct advertisement or material lacking redeeming literary, artistic, political or scientific importance. uneven enforcement at the state level allowed pornographic and sex shops to prosper.

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. cited by women to litigate and pressure employers for equal opportunities compared to those granted to men. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued more powerful protections 1968-71.

No-Fault Divorce Law

legal provision first introduced in California 1969 allowing couples to dissolve marriage without fault by either party, simplified the divorce process. by the ends of the 70s almost every state adopted the practice and by the early 80s nearly half of marriages ended in divorce.

Stonewall (June 1969)

June 1969 police raided the New York Stonewall Inn Gay Bar sparking a multiday street battle catalyzing a national gay liberation movement focused on liberation and pride over assimilation. in 1982 Wisconsin banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Phyllis Schlafly’s STOP ERA organization

1970s conservative campaign opposing the Equal Rights Amendment. mobilized evangelicals, lobbied legislators and counter-rallies. stated millions of happily married women believed in laws to protect the nuclear family. stalled the Amendment as the time limit for ratification expired in 1982, thus never becoming law.

Equal Rights Amendment

proposed amendment to the constitution aimed for the equality of rights undenied on the account of sex. first introduced in 1923, finally passing for ratification in March 1972. ultimately stalled by the STOP ERA campaign failing to get a final three states to ratify before the 1982 time limit.

Jimmy Carter’s Campaign

made a personal and moral appeal rather than running on great political issues. background as a hardworking, wholesome, southern Baptist contrasted Nixon and Ford. gained Democrat support which had wavered in the wake of the civil rights movements. easily won the 1976 election.

President Jimmy Carter

39th President, 1977-1981. focused on energy conservation, human rights, and foreign policies Camp David Accords and Panama Canal return. faced high inflation, economic turmoil, Iran hostage crisis, oil crisis, international instability. became widely unpopular.

Economic Global Trade Unraveling

1970s economic policies and practices prioritized expanding global trade partnerships at the expense of domestic manufacturing and US jobs. export values dropped, import prices skyrocketed. American manufacturers moved overseas.

Camp David Accords (September 1978)

1978 peace agreement brokered by Jimmy Carter between Egypt and Israel, aimed at resolving ongoing conflicts and establishing diplomatic relations. the Arab nation recognized Israel and Israel promised Palestine self-government.

Iran Hostage Crisis (November 1979)

Iran revolutionaires stormed the American embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage. Iran’s oil fields shut down and the US faced another oil crisis. in April 1980 a failed rescue mission resulted in 8 servicemen deaths. hostages were not released until January 20, 1981.

Carter Doctrine (1980)

policy issued by President Carter in 1980 following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. declared the US would use military force if necessary to defend its interests in the Middle East and Persian Gulf. effectively undermining Carter’s promise and practice of peace.