Nixon, Ford, Carter

Nixon, Ford & Carter

1. Nixon campaigned as a champion of the Silent Majority. These were Americans who paid taxes, did not demonstrate, and desired a restoration of law and order.

2. The term “Middle America” also refers to the Silent Majority. The people were tired of the liberal protesters, angry over riots, and wanted “Peace with honor” in Vietnam.

3. Nixon’s domestic policy was known as New Federalism. According to Nixon, it was caused by a liberal economy and high spending.

4. An important reason for Nixon’s victory in 1968 was The Southern Strategy. It was an effort to sway southern voters to the Republican Party.

5. Nixon gained the South’s support by promising:
   a. To oppose busing to integrate schools
   b. To choose a vice-president from the South
   c. To appoint only conservatives to the federal courts
   d. To appoint a strict constructionist to the Supreme Court

6. Nixon promised to uphold “Law and Order” by:
   a. Going after radicals and criminals
   b. Attacking court rulings that expanded the rights of the accused

7. Nixon’s New Federalism called for eliminating several federal programs and giving more control to the state and local governments.

8. Revenue Sharing – Federal government distributes a portion of tax money to state and local governments to use as they see fit.

9. Nixon Doctrine Summary – The U.S. would assist in the defense and development of allies and friends but would not undertake all the defense of the free nations of the world. Allies had to take more responsibility.

10. Henry was Nixon’s national security adviser. He shaped Nixon’s foreign policy. He negotiated the cease-fire with Vietnam, known as Paris Peace Accords, and established the policy known as détente with the USSR & China.

11. Détente is the relaxing of tensions between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China.

12. The summit meeting between the U.S. and the Soviet Union when the two countries agreed to limit nuclear arms is known as Strategic Arms Limitation Talks or SALT.

13. The President after Nixon was Gerald Ford.

Nixon, Ford, Carter

1. In the election of 1976, Gerald Ford ran against Jimmy Carter for president of the United States.

2. Jimmy Carter was liked by most because he was a Christian Democrat who was NOT a Washington insider.

3. Carter’s presidency was troubled by the Iran Hostage crisis and an economic downturn.

4. Turmoil in the Middle East began after WWII with the creation of Israel. The conflict led to two wars between Israel and numerous Muslim-dominated Arab countries. During these wars, the United States supported Israel due to our close Judeo-Christian ties.

5. OPEC is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It was founded by 5 founding members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela.

6. In response to the U.S. support of Israel, OPEC placed an oil embargo on the United States.

7. President Carter negotiated a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, which was known as the Camp David Accords. Carter’s work with foreign countries eventually earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

8. The Iran Hostage Crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the U.S. when 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

9. In the Iran Hostage Crisis, the U.S. was in support of the Shah because they were a major oil supplier to the U.S. and a buffer against USSR expansion. The Shah of Iran was unpopular because he was an authoritarian ruler and tried Western-style reforms.

10. Iran revolutionaries forced the Shah of Iran to flee. Ayatollah Khomeini becomes the new religious leader.

11. The U.S. allowed the Shah of Iran to come to the U.S. for cancer treatment. As a result, Iranian revolutionaries are angry at the United States. They storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran and take 52 Americans hostage.

12. Carter’s administration failed at negotiating for the hostages. Carter approved a daring rescue attempt; but it failed.

13. On Jan. 20, 1981, the day after Carter left office, Iran released the Americans, ending the 444 day captivity.

14. President Carter was a proponent/supporter of Human Rights. He believed that the U.S. should be “truthful and honest and fair and decent” in dealing with other nations.

15. Carter gave the Panama Canal back to Panama.

16. Détente suffers under Carter. The Soviets invade Afghanistan. As a result, the U.S. places an embargo on their grain and boycotts the Summer Olympics in Moscow.

17. Nixon’s role w/the environment included the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, which was passed to enforce environmental laws and the Clean Air Act of 1970 which focused on car emissions and restrictions.

18. Rachel Carson wrote the best seller “Silent Spring”. In the book, she argued that pesticides curb the insect population but kill birds, fish, and other creatures that ingest them.

19. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education upheld the constitutionality of busing; as a result there was “white flight” to private schools.

20. Affirmative Action called for companies, schools, and institutions doing business with the federal government to recruit African Americans.

21. In the case, Affirmative Action vs. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), critics claimed reverse discrimination. The courts ruled that racial quotas were unconstitutional, but schools “could” consider race as a factor in admission.

22. Indian Civil Rights Act guaranteed reservation residents the protection of the Bill of Rights.

23. Architectural Barriers Act mandated that new buildings constructed with federal funds must be accessible to persons with disabilities.

24. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that no person with a disability can be discriminated against in any way by an entity receiving federal funds.

25. Americans with Disabilities Act bans discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, public education, and telecommunication.