Resignation of a President President fired Archibald Cox, special prosecutor assigned to Watergate investigations & US general resigned in protest

st House of Judiciary Committee voted 3 articles of impeachment: o Obstruction of justice o Abuse of power o Contempt of Congress August 9, 1974 Nixon resigns & VP Gerald Ford took over Proved US constitutional system of checks & balances worked but others thought the scandal underlined dangerous shift of power to presidency Contributed to growing loss of faith in fed govt

GERALD FORD IN THE WHITE HOUSE Gerald Ford: Had served in Congress for years as rep from MI & Repub minority leader of House o Likeable, unpretentious, ability to be president was questioned by media

Pardoning of Nixon President Ford lost goodwill of many by granting Nixon a full/unconditional pardon for any crime he might had committed Accused of making corrupt bargain, but Ford did it to end the national nightmare Presidents actions never came out but his aides were convicted and served prison terms

Investigating the CIA CIA accused of engineering assassination of foreign leaders like Salvador Allende Appointed TX Congressman George Bush to reform the agency

Failure of US Policy in SE Asia Fall of Saigon April 1975, US supported govt in Saigon fell to enemy & Vietnam became 1 country under rule of Commy govt in Hanoi US evacuated 150,000 who had supported US and now faced persecution Low point of American prestige overseas & confidence @ home

Genocide in Cambodia US supported govt in Cambodia fell to Khmer Rouge Ford ordered attack on a Cambodian naval base that captured the merchant ship Mayaguez. 39 free, 38 marines died

Future of SE Asia Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia didnt follow domino theory, they emerged as little tigers Some thought US support of S Vietnam bought time for other nations to develop and better resist communism

The Economy and Domestic Policy Chief concern: bringing inflation under control Urged voluntary measures on part of businesses and consumers o Wearing of WIN buttons: Whip Inflation Now Inflation continued, economy sank, unemployment rose Agreed to Democratic package to stimulate economy th Bicentennial celebration: 200 birthday. Put Watergate & Vietnam behind them

The Election of 1976 Emergence of Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter: Little-known former gov of Georgia who competed for Dem nomination. His victories in open primaries reduced influenced from more experienced Dem politicians Wins presidency with 97% of black vote

JIMMY CARTERS PRESIDENCY Informal, viewed as an outsider, intelligent, dedicated, was a leaf man Foreign Policy Human rights diplomacy Andrew Young appointed as US ambassador to UN Young denounced oppression of black majority in South African & Rhodesia Carter cut off US aid to Argentina & Chile, due to human rights violations by military govts

Panama Canal Carter tried to correct inequities in original Panama Canal Treaty of 1903 by negotiating new treaty Senate ratified treaty that gradually transferred operation & control of Panama Canal from US to Panamanians Give away of the canal in 1980 election

Camp David Accords (1978) After Egyptian president and Israeli Prime minister met, Carter invited them to meet in Camp David, MD Negotiated Camp David Accords: provided a framework for a peace settlement between their countries Egypt became first arab nation to recognize nation of Israel, later Israel withdrew troop from Sinai territory

Iran and the hostage crisis Cold War Carter tried to continue dtente w/ China & SU st 1979 US ends official recognition of Nationalist Chinese govt of Taiwan & completed 1 exchange of ambassadors w/ Peoples Repub of China Dtente moved ahead w/ SU with signing of SALT II: Treaty which provided for limiting the size of each superpowers nuclear delivery system Never ratified b/c of renewal of cold war tensions over Afghanistan Dec 1979 SU troops invade Afghanistan aggressive action that ended decade of improving US SU relations US scared it might lead to SU control of oil in Persian Gulf Carter reacted by: Placing embargo on grain exports & sale of high technology to SU & boycotting 1980 Olympics in Moscow (Carter now had to switch to an arms buildup) 1979 Islamic fundamentalists in Iran overthrew shahs dictatorial govt nd Iranian oil production ground to a halt 2 worldwide oil shortage of decade & price increases Nov Iranian militants seized US embassy in Teheran & held 50 + members of US staff as prisoners & hostages April 1980Carter approved rescue mission but aborted symbol of failed presidency

Domestic Policy: Dealing With Inflation Troubled economy Loss of Popularity Economic growth slowed b/c businesses and consumers couldnt afford high interest rates from high prices Paul Volcker chairman of FRB, wanted to break inflation by pushing interest rates higher Hurt car and building industries, unemployment high Taxpayers revolt. Fed deficit $60 bil. Standard of living on decline

National malaise speech: Carter blamed problems on moral and spiritual crisis of US people People blamed him for weak and indecisive leadership

AMERICAN SOCIETY IN TRANSITION Population aging, lot of people in S & W, minority groups rising, cultural pluralism Growth of Immigration Illegal immigrants Rise of illegal immigrants from Latin America and Asia Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986: penalized employers for hiring illegal immigrants while also granting amnesty to illegal immigrants arriving by 1982 Many thought US had lost control of borders, millions of people coming in

Demands for Minority Rights Hispanic Americans Mexican workers suffered deportation during depression, came to US to take low=paying agricultural jobs Widely exploited before boycotts led by Cesar Chavez & United Farm Workers Organization (UFW) finally gained collective bargaining rights for farm workers in 1975 Chicano Movement: Chicano (MX American) activists won federal mandate for bilingual education requiring schools to teach Hispanic children in both English & Spanish Many elected to public office, largest minority group

Native American movement Eisenhower encouraged them to leave reservations & assimilate into urban America, but they didnt want to lose cultural identity AIM: American Indian Movement founded to achieve self-determination & revival of tribal traditions Indian self-determination act Regained property or compensation for treaty violations Tribally controlled community college assistance act Dances with Wolves support of public opinion & sympathy

Asian Americans Fastest growing ethnic minority, education dedication, discrimination, accepted into best colleges

Gay liberation movement By mid 1970s homosexuality was no longer classified as mental illness & federal Civil Service dropped its ban on employment of homosexuals Dont ask dont tell policy by Clinton

The Environmental Movement Protective legislation Clean Air Act: law enacted by the United States Congress to control air pollution on a national level Environmental Protection Agency & Clean Water Act