Modern America 1974-2000
Unit 13 & 17
1. Supply-side Economics/Reaganomics – proposed economic plan under President Reagan that hoped to end inflation by cutting taxes so that both businesses and individuals would have funds to reinvest in business. More commonly known as Reaganomics, this policy failed to create the economic prosperity for all Americans as it promised.
2. ICBM- Intercontinental Ballistic Missile-long range missile designed to launch nuclear war heads over 5,000miles developed by the superpowers in the Cold War. These weapons were the focal point of many of the arms reduction treaties of the 1970’s and 1980’s.
3. Iran-contra Affair- Reagan aides sold weapons to Iran in exchange for freed hostages from Lebanon, the money from these weapon sales were filtered to the Contras (rebels) in Nicaragua. This scandal brought negative media and public opinion to the Reagan administration because the President had vowed never to negotiate with terrorists and Congress had banned any support for the Contras.
4. Ralph Nader -lead figure in consumer production movement and Green party candidate in 1996 and 2000 for President
5. 26th Amendment- Gave citizens of 18 years or older the right to vote, passed as a reaction to the political activity displayed by college students during the Vietnam War.
6. 25th Amendment -Outlines the line of succession for the Presidency should the President become unable to carry out his duties. This amendment defines what is considered Presidential disability and how this information is given to the federal government.
7. Watergate- Nixon supporters were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Nixon tried to cover up this illegal activity with his connections in the CIA and led to Nixon becoming the first president to resign.
8. Moral Majority - Founded in June 1979 in response to the threat of legal abortion, homosexual rights, and spreading of pornography. This political movement was religiously based and funded with the ultimate goal of ousting liberal members of Congress.
9. New World Order -change in the balance of power and political thought in the post Cold War era. The vision of this order focused on cooperation, rather than competition between the world’s superpowers.
10. Jimmy Carter- Democratic President from 1976-1980 who gained support from the south and black voters to win the election despite his lack of “Washington” experience. He secured the Panama Canal Treaty, SALTII (strategic arms limitations treaty), and the Camp David Accords. He also was involved in the Iran Hostage Crisis and the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
11. Equal Rights Amendment- aimed to end discrimination of sex and was opposed by conservatives although it passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, it did not get the 38 states necessary to ratify it and make it an official part of the Constitution.
12. Revenue Sharing-proposal from the Nixon administration which allowed federal monies to be divided and spent by the state and local governments at their discretion. The intent was to allow the state/local governments to determine the needs of their citizens, while reducing the federal government’s role on the state/local level, as part of Nixon’s New Federalism program.
13. Camp David Accords – Remembered as Jimmy Carter’s greatest legacy, this was the framework for peace in the Middle East. Jimmy Carter met Israel and the Arab Republic of Egypt at Camp David, in 1978. It is the first peaceful treaty between Israel and any of its neighboring Arab countries that brought temporary peace to the area.
14. New Federalism –President Nixon’s program, it took money and power away from the federal government and aimed the money and power to states and state-level foundations. This way, governmental aid can be directly brought to the people, hence helping the people directly, or so Nixon believed. It was not very successful, and stagflation continued.
15. NAFTA –North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a controversial agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada that called for a well planned-out trade agreement that will reduce tariffs by 2008 and aim at improving North American businesses.
16. Tiananmen Square –Demonstrators, mainly college students, refused to clear the Tiananmen Square, which they had been occupying for several weeks. The students demanded democratic reforms for the Communist government. However, the government did not give in and ordered the demonstrators to leave to which the demonstrators opposed. The government then fired upon the demonstrators and killed them using army tanks. Although not successful in obtaining their goal, this demonstration shows how young people were rebelling the government.
17. Sandra Day O’Conner –Sandra Day O’Connor was the first female Supreme Court Justice who served for 25 years (1981-2006). She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Regan in 1981 and remained in the court as the “middle man”, not only keeping the court in check, but balancing out the opinions that were brought out in the court. The appointment of a female to the Supreme Court showed another major step for women toward equality.
18. Gerald Ford – (1913-2006) The 38th President, Ford served the country from 1974-1977. Entering the White House after Nixon’s turbulent presidency and abrupt resignation. Ford faced many challenges including the impending stagflation, energy shortage and foreign troubles. One of his controversial actions was his pardon to Nixon immediately after going into the White House.
19. Stagflation - Stagflation is the combination of the words business stagnation and economic inflation, a term used to describe the economy during the 1970s. The fight against stagflation was finally clamped down on with the creation of the Federal Reserve Board. Stagflation was a major damping agent on the American society in the turbulent times of the 1970s.
20. Three Mile Island –serious nuclear plant accident in March 28, 1979 that brought about many changes in the nuclear power regulation in the country. Although no one was injured or killed, the nation was brought to alert as the nuclear regulation tightened as the people began to fear from within the country.
21. Department of Energy – A cabinet created by Carter in 1977, it aimed at conserving energy and nuclear safety. Energy became a major concern of the people in the early 1970s with the shortage of oil. It is still a thriving department in the government today, as it provides for the research and development of energy technology and nuclear energy maintenance.
22. Department of Education-. Created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter after Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act to administer federal educational assistance funds. Through formula-based grant programs, the Department of Education improves elementary and secondary schools and meet the special needs of students.
23. American Indian Movement (AIM): building on the success of the African American Civil Rights Movement, AIM was a militant civil rights organization founded in1968. AIM wanted to gain control of the Indian reform movement and also wanted to discredit Indian leadership groups and wanted international recognition of American Indian treaties. AIM activists occupied the former federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in 1969, and 500 AIM activists occupied the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) building in Washington, D.C., in November 1972 to protest their beliefs.
24. Persian Gulf War: conflict between Iraq and various coalitions of countries led by the United Nations. The conflict began with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Kuwait was liberated in 1991 by a U.S.-led military coalition. Over the next decade Iraq and the leaders of the US coalition continued to fight over alleged Iraqi efforts to build weapons of mass destruction.
25. National Organization for Women (NOW): a U.S. women's-rights organization made up of people who support "full equality for women in truly equal partnership with men." NOW, found in 1966, seeks to end prejudice and discrimination against women in government, industry, the professions, churches, and many other areas of life advocated for ratification of ERA and Title IX.
26. Impeachment: is a proceeding in which accusations are brought by the House of Representatives against federal officials. Impeachment is only possible if the person commits a high crime or misdemeanor. Throughout the history of our country only two presidents have been impeached, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. It is the Legislative branch’s check on the Executive and Judicial branches.
27. General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT): The basic rules under which tariffs are imposed by countries and the policies of its successor institution, the World Trade Organization (WTO). GATT was negotiated and signed by 23 nations in Geneva in 1947 and was succeeded by the WTO in 1995. GATT helped in setting up a system of rules on edict on how to trade.
28. 27th Amendment: is intended to prevent members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during the course of a session it passed in 1992. This is important to prevent the government officials from increasing there own salaries without the consent of the people.
29. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): under the FMLA of 1993 most employees were entitled to a total of up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for caring for a newborn child, adoption, care for loved one who is seriously ill, or a serious health condition of the employee that makes it unable to perform the essentials of their position. This is a great benefit for the working people of the country in case a important situation comes up they can still keep their job and get paid even once they take their temporary leave.
30. Motor Voter Bill: was an effort to expand the number of locations and opportunities for people to apply to register to vote. President Bill Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act, "Motor Voter," into law in 1993. This helps give people the opportunity to vote more easily which makes our election votes from more of the entire country, meant to help combat low voter participation numbers in recent elections.
Bibliography
http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/campdavid/
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9019831/Camp-David-Accords
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/37_nixon/nixon_domestic.html
http://www.citizen.org/trade/nafta/
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http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=115
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http://www.answers.com/topic/department-of-energy