Download 70s: Nixon thru Carter

Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
A Search for Order
Section 1
MAIN IDEA
Beyond the ongoing turmoil of the Vietnam War, the Nixon administration did
enjoy some notable success.
Key Terms and People
realpolitik the basing of foreign policies on realistic views of national interest rather than
on broad rules or principles
détente policy that eased tensions between Cold War enemies
SALT I talks between the United States and the Soviet Union to limit the building of
offensive weapon systems
shuttle diplomacy shuttling from group to group to work out agreements between parties
that refuse to meet
OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; a group of many of the oil-
producing nations of the world
Apollo 11 NASA flight to the moon and back in July 1969
Neil Armstrong astronaut on Apollo 11; first human being to set foot on the moon
Section Summary
NIXON’S POLITICS AND DOMESTIC POLICIES
Richard Nixon was known as a conservative who was
strongly anti-Communist. He believed the federal
government was too large. He had been in favor of
civil rights. However, as president he started a
“southern strategy” to get support from those against
the civil rights movement. He tried to weaken the
1965 Voting Rights Act. He urged a slowing down of
forced integration. He also opposed busing. On the
other hand, Nixon’s more liberal policies led him to
increase funding for food stamps and Social Security
payments. He signed the Clean Air Act. He worked to
establish the Environmental Protection Agency. He
helped create the Occupational Health and Safety
Administration. He also encouraged affirmative
action, extending it to cover women.
What was Nixon’s
“southern strategy”?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Underline the steps Nixon
took to help improve the
environment.
NIXON’S FOREIGN POLICIES
Nixon’s national security adviser was Henry
Kissinger. Later Kissinger became secretary of state.
His policy was called realpolitik. This meant basing
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A Search for Order
Section 1
foreign policy on realistic views of what was good for
the country rather than on rules or principles.
Nixon took steps to ease tensions with America’s
Cold War enemy, the Soviet Union. This easier
relationship was called détente. Nixon held the
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) with the
Soviet Union. These talks aimed at limiting the
building of new offensive weapons. Nixon also made
a surprising visit to China and met with Chinese
leader Mao Zedong. He wanted to ease relations
between the two nations.
TROUBLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel had occupied Arab territory since a 1967 war.
The United Nations wanted Israel to leave the
territories and debated the issue until there was
another war in 1973. At that point the Soviet Union
offered support to the Arabs. The United States
supported the Israelis. To negotiate a ceasefire,
Kissinger used shuttle diplomacy. This meant
traveling back and forth between the parties, since
they refused to meet.
During the war, the Arab members of the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) agreed not to ship oil to the United States
and some other countries. This was in response to
American support for Israel. The United States
depended heavily on OPEC oil. This caused an energy
crisis in the United States. There was not enough
gasoline or heating oil and prices rose sharply.
MAJOR EVENTS AT HOME
In July 1969 the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the
moon. Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first human
to set foot on the moon.
At home, inflation and unemployment were very
high. Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages and
prices. It halted inflation, but only temporarily. The oil
crisis would soon send prices higher.
What foreign nation did
Nixon visit and why?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Why was the OPEC oil
embargo damaging to the
United States?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Why did Nixon order a
freeze on wages and
prices?
_______________________
_______________________
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Contrast How did realpolitik and détente differ from
containment and brinkmanship? Write two paragraphs of explanation.
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A Search for Order
Section 2
MAIN IDEA
The Nixon presidency became bogged down in scandal, leading to the first
presidential resignation in American history and the administration of Gerald
Ford.
Key Terms and People
Watergate scandal scandal involving a break-in at the Watergate
executive privilege policy that holds that the president must be able to keep official
conversations and meetings private
Saturday night massacre Nixon’s order to fire the special prosecutor, which caused the
attorney general and his assistant to resign
transcript a written record of a spoken event
Gerald R. Ford president after Nixon; first person to become president without being
elected either president or vice president
Section Summary
THE ELECTION OF 1972
Nixon wanted desperately to win the 1972 election. In
the past his supporters had used underhanded tactics.
Two of Nixon’s advisers created a special group to
find out who was giving out secret information and to
investigate Nixon’s political enemies. This group,
called the “Plumbers,” broke into Daniel Ellsberg’s
psychiatrist’s office. Ellsberg had given out secret
documents about the Vietnam War. The Plumbers
were looking for information to embarrass Ellsberg.
During the re-election campaign, Nixon’s team sent
burglars into the headquarters of the Democratic
National Committee. The headquarters were in the
Watergate hotel-office complex. The burglars were
caught and arrested, but the connection to the
president was still unknown. Reporters Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein began to investigate the burglary.
The burglary did not bother voters. Nixon was reelected by one of the largest majorities in history.
Why did the Plumbers want
to embarrass Daniel
Ellsberg?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Underline the names of the
two reporters who
investigated the Watergate
burglary.
THE SCANDAL UNFOLDS
Ties to the White House came out during the burglars’
trials. People wondered if Nixon had known about the
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Section 2
wrongdoing and helped hide it. Nixon ordered an
investigation of the Watergate scandal. His top aides
and the attorney general resigned. Then he fired John
Dean, the investigating lawyer. Democrats called for
Nixon to appoint what is now called a special
prosecutor, an investigator who is not part of the
administration. Archibald Cox was appointed.
Meanwhile, the Senate began its own investigation.
It found that Nixon had taped his conversations. To
get the tapes, Cox issued a subpoena, a legal order
requiring a person to bring something to court. Nixon
claimed the tapes were secret because of executive
privilege, the president’s right to keep official
conversations and meetings private. He also
responded by ordering the attorney general to fire
Cox. The attorney general refused and resigned, as did
his assistant. Cox was eventually fired, ending what is
called the Saturday night massacre. But the nation
now questioned Nixon’s honesty. Nixon released a
transcript of some of the tapes. This written record of
spoken events, however, did not prevent a probable
impeachment. Facing this, Nixon resigned.
GERALD FORD’S PRESIDENCY
Nixon’s original vice president, Spiro T. Agnew, had
resigned in disgrace. Nixon chose the Republican
leader of the House, Gerald R. Ford, to be vice
president. When Nixon resigned, Ford became
president. Ford granted Nixon a full pardon, or formal,
legal forgiveness for a crime. The public was
outraged. In office, Ford tried to slow inflation by
reducing government spending. Congress refused to
let Ford aid South Vietnam or to step in against
Communists in Angola. At election time, Ford won
the Republican nomination only after a struggle.
Why did Democrats want
Nixon to appoint a special
prosecutor?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
What did Nixon not want to
release to the special
prosecutor?
_______________________
How did Ford outrage the
American public?
_______________________
_______________________
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Elaborate Watch and give a report on the movie All
the President’s Men, about reporters Woodward and Bernstein’s
investigation of these events. The movie is based on their book.
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A Search for Order
Section 3
MAIN IDEA
Jimmy Carter used his reputation for honesty to win the presidency in 1976, but
he soon met challenges that required other qualities as well.
Key Terms and People
James Earl “Jimmy” Carter president of the United States from 1977 to 1981
SALT II treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union that called for limits on
certain kinds of nuclear weapons
Camp David Accords peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, guided by Jimmy
Carter
Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini Islamic religious leader who came to political power in Iran
after the shah was overthrown
Section Summary
CHALLENGES FACING THE NATION
James Earl “Jimmy” Carter won the presidency in
1976. He appealed to voters as a trustworthy, honest
man. One of his first actions in office was to pardon
thousands of American men who had avoided the
draft during the Vietnam War. Inflation and
unemployment were high. Carter worked to create
new jobs. However, he was unable to bring down
inflation. He developed a national energy policy and
urged Americans to conserve energy. He pushed
automakers to build more energy-efficient cars. Carter
promoted other kinds of energy besides oil, such as
wind and solar power. Carter was also concerned
about the environment and faced two environmental
crises. At a nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island
an accident threatened to leak radiation and some
nearby people were evacuated. At Love Canal buried
chemicals seeped up through the ground and caused
birth defects in the community.
Why did Carter appeal to
voters?
_______________________
_______________________
Underline the ways in
which Carter dealt with the
problem of finding enough
energy to supply the
country’s needs.
CARTER’S FOREIGN POLICY
Jimmy Carter had no real foreign-policy experience
and brought new ideas and people to Washington. His
ambassador to the United Nations was Andrew
Young, whose background was in the civil rights
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Section 3
movement. Carter appointed many African
Americans, women, and Hispanic Americans to
office. He was committed to human rights and tried to
tie his foreign policies to them. In 1979 the United
States and the Soviet Union signed SALT II. This
treaty limited certain kinds of nuclear weapons. Carter
also agreed to give Panama control of the Panama
Canal in 1999, ending conflict between the countries.
He formally recognized the government of the
Communist People’s Republic of China. His greatest
foreign policy achievement was the Camp David
Accords. Carter invited the leaders of Israel and
Egypt, which had long been enemies, to the
presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. There
he guided them to a peace agreement.
INTERNATIONAL CRISES
In 1979 the Soviets invaded Afghanistan to support a
new pro-Soviet government. Carter responded by
blocking grain shipments to the Soviets and
withdrawing U.S. participation from the 1980
Moscow Olympics. In some ways these responses hurt
the United States, for they made the country appear
weak. In 1979 the Iranians overthrew their leader,
known as the shah. Among Iranians he had a
reputation for cruel repression. The United States had
supported the shah. A religious leader, Ayatollah
Ruholla Khomeini, took power. When the American
government allowed the shah to come to the United
States for cancer treatment, Iranians were angry. A
mob attacked the American embassy and dozens of
Americans were captured. They were held hostage for
more than a year. Carter was unable to end the hostage
crisis. In one speech, Carter said the United States
faced a crisis in confidence. He was right. Many
Americans blamed him for the crisis.
How did Jimmy Carter’s
concern for human rights
show itself in his actions?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Why did Iranians attack the
embassy and take
Americans hostage?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Analyze Carter won passage of several energy and
environmental laws. Yet we still depend on foreign oil and produce air
pollution. Write three paragraphs on why these problems still exist.
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