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Mr. Walter
US History 2
Ford, Carter, and the rest of the 70s: a video tour
Name:
Tonight, watch these video clips to add more depth to your understanding of the mid to late 1970s.
For several decades, the United States knew nothing but growth, expansion, and dominance.
Americans were confident in their leadership in the world after World War II. This unraveled in
the mid-to-late 1970s as Americans encountered a “crisis of confidence.” Following Watergate,
the United States seemed to lose spirit and direction. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter
struggled with a wide range of domestic and foreign problems. As the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) embargoed oil shipments to the U.S., forcing up the price of oil in
reaction to United States support of Israel in the 1973 war against Syria and Egypt, the U.S.
economy fell prey to runaway inflation, skyrocketing unemployment, and economic recession. A
sense of limits gripped Americans. The years of 1974-1980 were years of constant setbacks and
frustration for Americans. To learn more about these “years of malaise,” please watch this video
from Peter Jennings’ The Century series:
A. Video overview: Peter Jennings’ The Century
Start at 9:44 in the first clip and then continue on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9YR70WlDac&feature=share&list=PLC8D9DC28C3EC5223&index=37
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0jiB8N101g&feature=share&list=PLC8D9DC28C3EC5223&index=38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZttGPAB2aXQ&feature=share&list=PLC8D9DC28C3EC5223&index=39
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiMLOTw66-A&list=PLC8D9DC28C3EC5223 (this last one might not work- it may be
blocked… so just get as far as you can and I’ll show you the missing piece in class!)
1. What was the significance of the fall of Vietnam in 1975?
2. Why were the mid 70s such a depressing period in American history?
3. Describe Jimmy Carter’s background and his goals in running for President in 1976.
4. How did the political perspective of young people change from the 1960s to the 1970s?
5. Why were the 1970s called the “Me Decade?”
6. How was the American family affected by these changes in American society?
7. How was Carter’s inauguration unique?
8. Describe the winter of 1977 in the U.S.
9. How did the American auto industry change in the late 1970s? What new challenges did they
face?
10. What was “Love Canal,” and what happened in Niagara Falls, NY in 1978?
11. Explain how school integration was brought about in Boston, MA. How did people in Boston
react to this?
12. Who was Dan White, and what did he do on November 27, 1978? What was the significance of
this event?
13. What changes took place in Iran in 1979 (Who was the Shah, and who was the Ayatollah
Khoemeni?)
14. What happened at Three Mile Island in 1979, and why it was important?
15. What did Carter do in bringing together the leader of Egypt (Anwar Sadat) and the leader of
Israel (Menachem Begin)?
16. What nation did the Soviet Union invade in 1979?
17. What happened to the American citizens in the Iranian embassy? Why?
18. What happened at the 1980 Winter Olympics that was so important for Americans?
19. Describe Ronald Reagan.
20. What did Jimmy Carter try to do all night long on the eve of Reagan’s inauguration? Was he
successful?