Study Guides for NIXON HISTORY MR MANSON

Richard M. Nixon

37th U.S. president (1969–1974) who promoted conservatism, détente, and New Federalism; resigned due to Watergate

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s national security advisor who shaped foreign policy and promoted realpolitik and détente

New Federalism

Nixon’s policy to reduce federal power by giving more authority to state and local governments

Revenue Sharing

Federal program giving money to states/local governments with fewer restrictions

Family Assistance Plan (FAP)

Nixon’s failed welfare reform plan providing guaranteed income with work requirements

Impoundment

Nixon’s practice of refusing to spend funds Congress had approved

Law and Order Policy

Nixon’s effort to crack down on protests and restore stability during social unrest

Silent Majority

Middle-class Americans who supported Nixon’s conservative policies

Southern Strategy

Nixon’s plan to gain support from Southern white voters by appealing to opposition to civil rights policies

George Wallace

Segregationist candidate who attracted Southern conservative voters in 1968

Desegregation

Ending racial separation, especially in schools

Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court case that declared school segregation unconstitutional

Busing

Transporting students to different schools to achieve racial integration

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Supreme Court case supporting busing to desegregate schools

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Law protecting minority voting rights that Nixon tried to weaken

Warren Court

Liberal Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren

Warren Burger

Nixon-appointed Chief Justice who made the Court more conservative

Stagflation

Economic condition of high inflation and high unemployment

Inflation

Rising prices reducing purchasing power

Recession

Period of economic slowdown

OPEC

Organization of oil-producing countries that controlled oil prices

Oil Embargo (1973)

OPEC’s halt of oil sales to the U.S., causing energy crisis and inflation

Yom Kippur War

1973 war between Israel and Arab nations that triggered the oil crisis

Price and Wage Controls

Nixon’s temporary freeze on prices and wages to combat inflation

Realpolitik

Foreign policy based on power and practicality rather than ideology

Detente

Policy of easing tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union

Containment

Earlier U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism

Nixon’s Visit to China

1972 trip that improved U.S.-China relations

Zhou Enlai

Chinese leader who met Nixon during his visit to China

China-Soviet Split

Division between China and the Soviet Union that Nixon used strategically

SALT I Treaty

Agreement limiting nuclear weapons between the U.S. and USSR

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Negotiations to reduce nuclear weapons

Cold War

Ongoing political tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union

Watergate Scandal

Political scandal involving break-in and cover-up that led to Nixon’s resignation

Gerald Ford

Became president after Nixon resigned; struggled with economic issues

Jimmy Carter

President focused on human rights and energy crisis solutions

Energy Crisis

Period of fuel shortages and high gas prices in the 1970s

Environmental Movement

Effort to address pollution and protect natural resources

Earth Day (1970)

First major environmental awareness event in the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Agency created to regulate pollution

Three Mile Island

Site of a nuclear accident in 1979

Camp David Accords

Peace agreement between Egypt and Israel brokered by Carter

Human Rights Policy

Carter’s foreign policy focus on protecting human rights globally

Neil Armstrong

First person to walk on the moon in 1969

Moon Landing (1969)

Major achievement of U.S. space program

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Lowered voting age to 18

Checks and Balances

System that limits government power

Executive Power

Authority held by the president

Antiwar Movement

Public opposition to the Vietnam War

Media Influence

Role of journalism in shaping public opinion (important in Watergate)

Economic Stagnation

Slow or no economic growth during the 1970s