Key Events and Figures in U.S. Political History

Ronald Reagan

Conservative U.S. president in the 1980s.

Reaganomics

Economic plan: tax cuts, budget cuts, military spending.

Trickle-down economics

Tax cuts for wealthy = more investment and jobs.

End of Cold War

Reagan worked with Gorbachev to ease tensions.

Jimmy Carter

Elected in 1976; faced economic and energy issues.

Camp David Accords

Carter's peace deal between Egypt and Israel.

Panama Canal

Carter returned canal control to Panama.

Carter and Human Rights

Carter prioritized human rights in foreign policy.

Richard Nixon

President during early 1970s; resigned after Watergate.

Nixon and China

Visited China to open diplomatic relations.

Nixon and USSR

Visited USSR to improve relations (détente).

Watergate Scandal

Nixon's team broke into Democratic HQ.

CRP (Committee to Re-Elect the President)

Group tied to Watergate break-in.

Watergate cover-up

Nixon tried to hide the break-in.

Woodward & Bernstein

Reporters who exposed Watergate.

Slush fund

Money secretly used to pay for illegal activities.

Result of Watergate

Nixon resigned; public trust in government fell.

Gerald Ford

Became president after Nixon; pardoned Nixon.

Whip Inflation Now

Ford's failed plan to fix the economy.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon's Secretary of State; helped with détente.

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

U.S. table tennis team opened relations with China.

OPEC

Group of oil-producing countries, mostly in the Middle East.

OPEC and the U.S.

Controlled oil prices; caused U.S. economic issues.

Stagflation

High inflation + high unemployment (1970s issue).

Moral Majority

Religious conservatives promoting family values.

Conservative Coalition

Groups that supported traditional values and small gov.

A Nation at Risk

1980s report warning U.S. schools were falling behind.

AIDS crisis

Disease spreading in the 1980s; became national issue.

Magic Johnson

Athlete who raised awareness about AIDS.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Iranian revolutionaries took 66 U.S. hostages.

Hostage crisis length

Lasted 444 days; ended when Reagan became president.

Cause of crisis

U.S. supported the Shah, who was overthrown.

Operation Eagle Claw

Failed rescue attempt by Carter.

Iran-Contra Affair

U.S. traded arms for hostages; funded Nicaraguan Contras.

Contras in Nicaragua

U.S.-backed rebel group fighting in Nicaragua.

Reagan's role in Iran-Contra

Approved arms deals and support for Contras.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Took over Iran after the Shah; led a theocracy.

The Shah

U.S.-supported Iranian leader; overthrown in 1979.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader who introduced reforms and helped end Cold War.

Glasnost

Gorbachev's policy for free speech and openness.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's policy for economic reform.

Détente

Cold War policy to ease tensions (Nixon/Kissinger).

S.A.L.T.

U.S. and USSR talks to limit nuclear weapons.

The Challenger Disaster

NASA shuttle exploded in 1986; 7 astronauts died.