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The 1970s
President Nixon
The Vietnam War (Part III, 1969-1975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● Upon taking office, President Richard Nixon considered the war in Vietnam to be his
primary responsibility.
● President Nixon promised that he would end the war on “‘honorable’ terms.”
● President Nixon’s policy for ending the war in Vietnam was known as
Vietnamization.
o Vietnamization: A policy created by the United States government under
President Nixon. Vietnamization stated that the U.S. military would gradually
withdraw its troops and transfer the responsibility and direction of the war effort
to the government of South Vietnam.
● To help complete the process of Vietnamization, President Nixon supplied South
Vietnam with massive shipments of military supplies and financial assistance.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● At first Vietnamization was a success. The United States started to withdraw
American soldiers from South Vietnam, and American casualties in the Vietnam
War decreased.
● However, in 1970 an event occurred in Vietnam that would force American citizens
throughout the United States to further question America’s involvement in the war,
the My Lai massacre.
● In 1970, it was uncovered that an American unit had massacred Vietnamese
civilians, including dozens of women and children.
● In reaction, American citizens questioned America’s purpose in the war.
Furthermore, they questioned how the war affected the American soldiers who were
patrolling Vietnam’s jungles and cities, while fighting an “invisible” enemy.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● In April 1970, President Richard Nixon announced to the American people that
Vietnamization was proceeding ahead of schedule, and that within the next year,
150,000 American soldiers would be sent home.
● However, Nixon also announced to the American public that U.S. soldiers would be
entering Cambodia in order to destroy North Vietnamese and Vietcong supply
bases.
o The Ho Chi Minh Trail, was a series of trails that ran from North Vietnam to
South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese used these trails to supply the
Vietcong operating in South Vietnam with weapons and supplies.
o The Ho Chi Minh Trail ran through the neutral nation of Cambodia.
o President Nixon sent U.S. soldiers into Cambodia in order to destroy these
Vietnamese strongholds.
o The U.S. military had already been secretly bombing sites along the Ho Chi
Minh Trail for years.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● Many American citizens were outraged by Nixon’s decision to send U.S. military
forces into Cambodia, a neutral nation. Furthermore, Americans struggled to
understand President Nixon’s foreign policy.
o Vietnamization appeared to be a honest effort by the president to remove the
U.S. from Vietnam.
o However, ordering U.S. soldiers to enter Cambodia appeared to be a deliberate
escalation of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
● Student activists on college campuses across America began to protest Nixon’s
policies.
● A major protest occurred at a college named Kent State University in Ohio. For
several days college students protested, however, the protests turned violent.
College students broke windows, damaged college property, and fought with police
officers.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● The Governor of Ohio, called the National Guard to Kent State to put down the
protest.
● On May 4, college students began to throw stones at the National Guard soldiers, in
response, soldiers opened fire on the protesters, killing four and injuring eleven.
● Days later, two students protesting at Jackson State University in Mississippi were
killed by policemen.
● The nation was outraged by the killings. A wave of American citizens began to turn
against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War in protest of Nixon’s actions and
the violence occurring at home on college campuses.
● In response, President Nixon withdrew U.S. soldiers from Cambodia.
o However, President Nixon increased bombing raids in Cambodia and North
Vietnam in an effort to disrupt North Vietnam’s ability to supply the Vietcong in
South Vietnam.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● In 1972, President Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, began
to negotiate an end to the Vietnam War with the governments of North Vietnam and
South Vietnam.
● In October of 1972, the United States and North Vietnam tried to come to a peace
agreement, however, the talks failed.
● President Nixon responded by conducting widespread bombing missions
throughout North Vietnam in December 1972.
● In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam finally reached a peace
agreement.
o North Vietnam would retain control of all regions of South Vietnam they had
gained control of during the war.
o North Vietnam would release all American POWs (Prisoners of War).
o All American soldiers would withdraw from Vietnam.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
● 1973: The conclusion of the Vietnam War
o 58,220 American soldiers died in Vietnam War.
o Over 300,000 American soldiers were wounded in the Vietnam War.
o 185,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the Vietnam War.
o 1,100,000 communist soldiers (North Vietnamese Army & the Vietcong) were
killed in the Vietnam War.
o Estimates state that almost 500,000 civilians died in the war (North Vietnam &
South Vietnam).
● In January 1975, North Vietnam broke the cease-fire agreement and invaded South
Vietnam.
● On May 1, 1975, the North Vietnamese Army and the Vietcong invaded Saigon, the
capital of South Vietnam. The Vietnam War had finally come to an end. Vietnam
was unified as a communist nation.
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
The Vietnam War (Part III, 19691975)
Summary
● Who:
● What:
● When:
● Why:
● How:
President Nixon & the Cold War
President Nixon & the Cold War
● President Nixon created a new American Cold War policy, Detente.
o Detente: An ending of unfriendly or hostile relations between countries.
● Instead of refusing to deal with communist nations, such as the Soviet Union and
China, President Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, wanted
to cooperate with them, and ease tensions.
o This was a radical departure from previous Cold War policies, the United States
would no longer practice the policy of containment, but would instead
acknowledge and cooperate with communist nations.
● President Nixon and National Security Advisor Kissinger arranged summit meetings
with the leaders of Soviet Union and China.
o In February 1972, President Nixon and National Security Advisor Kissinger flew
to Beijing, China.
President Nixon & the Cold War
● President Nixon met with the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, Mao
Zedong, and the Chinese Premier, Zhou Enlai.
o This meeting was the first time the United States communicated with Chinese
officials since the Chinese communists won the Chinese Civil War in 1949,
establishing the People’s Republic of China, a communist nation.
● The United States and China made several diplomatic agreements.
o The leaders of United States and China agreed to “promote economic and
cultural exchanges” between their two nations.
o The United States also agreed to support the admission of the People’s
Republic of China to the United Nations.
o Prior to 1972, the United States recognized the Republic of China (Taiwan),
U.S. presidents refused to accept the outcome of the Chinese Civil War.
● President Nixon’s visit to China, and his skillful diplomacy, were viewed by the
international community as a major step towards world peace.
President Nixon & the Cold War
President Nixon & the Cold War
● In May 1972, Nixon and Kissinger visited the Soviet Union.
● At the meeting, President Nixon and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, agreed to
stop making nuclear ballistic missiles, while also reducing the number of antiballistic
missiles in their respective arsenals to two hundred.
● The treaty between the two Cold War superpowers was known as the Strategic
Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT).
● President Nixon’s cold war policy of detente won him widespread support from the
nation and the international community.
● In the election of 1972, President NIxon won a landslide victory against Senator
George McGovern (Democrat)
o President Richard Nixon (Republican): 521 electoral votes.
o Senator George McGovern (Democrat): 17 electoral votes.
● President Nixon started his second term as one of the most successful presidents in
President Nixon & the Cold War
President Nixon & the Cold War
Summary
● Who:
● What:
● When:
● Why:
● How:
President Nixon’s Domestic Policies
President Nixon’s Domestic Policies
● President Nixon was more concerned with foreign policy while in office than
domestic policies.
● However, he did support legislation that had a profound impact on the nation.
● In 1970, President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act (1970), and the congressional
bill responsible for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
o Clean Air Act (1970): A federal law created to regulate (control) the amount of
air pollution in the United States.
o Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): A federal agency created to set
and enforce rules and standards that protect the environment and control
pollution.
President Nixon’s Domestic Policies
● President Nixon’s New Federalism:
o New Federalism returned certain legislative powers to state governments.
New Federalism reduced costs for the federal government, while also
returning powers to the state governments taken from them during the New
Deal era (President Roosevelt).
● President Nixon also eliminated or made cut-backs to many federal social welfare
programs.
o These measures reversed the gains made by many of President Johnson’s
social welfare programs.
o Many poor Americans and minorities were affected by Nixon’s decision.
o Furthermore, Nixon reduced federal funding to science and education
programs in America.
The Watergate Scandal
● On June 17, 1972, five members of the Committee to Re-elect the President
(CREEP) broke into the Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate Complex
in Washington D.C.
● These men were part of a unofficial CREEP surveillance group known as “the
plumbers.”
● The men were caught going through files and installing electronic surveillance
devices throughout the offices of the Democratic Party.
● Eventually, it was discovered that “the plumbers” were connected to the Republican
Party.
● Newspaper journalists investigated the matter, and came to the conclusion that the
break-in was actually ordered by President Nixon.
● Nixon denied all accusations, on June 22, 1972, he stated “I can say categorically
that no one on the White House Staff, no one in this Administration presently
employed, was involved in this very bizarre incident.”
The Watergate Scandal
The Watergate Scandal
● One of the burglars, James McCord, a former FBI and CIA agent wrote a letter to
the judge at his trial, John J. Sirica, disclosing the attempted cover-up by the
Republican Party.
● Soon members of Nixon’s administration, including the head of CREEP and his
personal lawyer, were arrested.
The Watergate Scandal
● Furthermore, the following information was uncovered during the investigation:
o The White House had ordered large amounts of money to be paid to the
burglars (“hush money”), to deny any involvement with Nixon and his
administration.
o “The Plumbers” had broken into the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist.
 Daniel Ellsberg had leaked the Pentagon Papers to The New York
Times.
o Corporations had donated large sums of money to Nixon’s reelection
campaign, violating federal campaign finance laws.
o President Nixon had ordered wiretaps to be placed on the telephones of his
own officials and any journalists who were critical of his administration.
The Watergate Scandal
● Following these revelations, many of Nixon’s closest advisors resigned from their
respective offices, including his prominent members of the White House Staff and
the Justice Department.
● President Nixon refused to allow investigators access to White House documents,
including the recordings of his telephone conversations.
● During the investigation of the Watergate Scandal, Nixon’s vice-president, Spiro
Agnew, was found guilty of tax evasion, and resigned his position.
● Special prosecutor Leon Jaworski continued the investigation of the Watergate
Scandal into 1974. The public began to demand Nixon’s impeachment.
● In an effort to turn the tide of public criticism, Nixon released the White House
“tapes,” recordings of his telephone conversations that were turned over to Jaworski
during the investigation.
o The tapes had the opposite effect, the public was astonished by Nixon’s vulgar
language, lack of concern for the public interest, and his general confusion.
The Watergate Scandal
● The tapes given to the public by Nixon were edited, 64 tapes were missing.
● Nixon refused to hand the tapes over to Jaworski, resulting in the infamous
Supreme Court case, United States v. Richard Nixon.
a. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered Richard Nixon to turn the 64 tapes over to the
special prosecutor.
● In the summer of 1974, the House (House of Representatives) Judiciary Committee
conducted public hearings regarding President Nixon’s conduct.
● The committee drafted three impeachment charges against the president,
1. Obstructing justice
2. Misusing the powers of his office
3. Failing to cooperate with the House Judiciary Committee.
● Furthermore, Nixon finally turned over the sixty-four tapes, as ordered by the U.S.
Supreme Court. These tapes proved that Nixon knew of the Watergate scandal,
The Watergate Scandal
● Both Republicans and Democrats were in agreement that Nixon had committed a
crime, and that he should be impeached.
● Rather than facing an impeachment, and a trial by the U.S. Senate, Nixon became
the first U.S. president to resign from his office.
● On August 9, 1974, President Nixon resigned as President of the United States of
America.
● Nixon was replaced by Gerald Ford, his vice-president.
● President Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, preventing him from ever being charged
with a crime related to the Watergate Scandal.
● The Watergate Scandal is greatest presidential scandal in United States history.
The Watergate Scandal
The Watergate Scandal
Summary
● Who:
● What:
● When:
● Why:
● How:
President Ford
President Ford
● As the Watergate Scandal captivated the American public, a new crisis was
emerging in the Middle East that would affect every American citizen in our nation the Yom Kippur War.
o On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel.
o Israel needed military supplies from the United States to help them defeat their
enemies and win the Yom Kippur War.
o President Ford responded by sending a large amount of weapons to Israel,
helping them win the war.
President Ford
● In response to the United States’ involvement in the Yom Kippur War, the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut off oil shipments to
America.
o OPEC consisted of the five greatest oil exporting nations, four of which were
Arab nations, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran.
o The Arab nations wanted to punish the United States for helping Israel.
o The oil embargo affected every aspect of the American economy.
o The price of a gas rose from $3 to $12 dollars a gallon.
o Oil was used by Americans for fueling their vehicles, heating their homes,
powering factories, creating electricity, and transporting food.
● The embargo was also responsible for producing massive shortages of oil and
gasoline in the United States. Many Americans had to wait on gas lines for hours
just to be able to refuel their cars.
President Ford
President Ford
President Ford
● In 1974, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger negotiated an agreement with the
OPEC nations to end the oil embargo.
● Although the oil crisis ended, President Ford was faced with an even greater
problem, inflation.
o Inflation: A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing power of
money.
● President Ford responded by asking Congress to pass tax cuts, and other laws to
help increase the strength of the economy.
● However, President Ford was unable to solve the nation’s inflation crisis.
● President Ford would be a one-term president, in the election of 1976, he was
defeated by Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia.
o President Ford (Republican): 241 electoral votes.
o Governor Carter (Democrat): 297 electoral votes.
Summary
● Who:
● What:
● When:
● Why:
● How:
President Carter
President Carter
● Upon taking office, President Carter had to contend with the inflation crisis that
made Gerald Ford a one-term president.
● However, the crisis was not simply a matter of inflation, but also stagnation in the
American economy.
● A new term was coined to describe the economic problem - stagflation.
o Stagflation: An economic situation in which prices of goods and services
continually increase, many people do not have jobs, and businesses are not
very successful.
o By 1979, 6 to 10% of American citizens were unemployed.
● President Carter tried to solve the stagflation crisis by
o Reducing government spending.
o Balancing the federal budget.
o Cutting taxes.
President Carter
● However, the federal government made many mistakes in responding to the crisis.
o Although the Carter administration tried to cut taxes, inflation caused middleclass Americans to contend with higher-tax rates.
o Interest rates increased, making it difficult for American citizens to buy or sell
homes, or take out business loans.
o In 1979, another oil crisis occurred, gasoline prices rose to $34 a gallon.
o Many American car manufactures went bankrupt, ⅓ of American auto workers
lost their jobs.
President Carter
● The Camp David Accords (1978):
o The greatest achievement of Carter’s administration was the Camp David
Accords.
o In September 1978, President Carter invited the Prime Minister of Israel,
Menachem Begin, and the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat to the United
States to create a peace agreement between the two warring nations.
o President Carter played a critical role in the negotiations between the two
Middle Eastern nations.
● The terms:
o Israel agreed to return territory they took from Egypt in the 1967 Israeli-Egypt
War.
o Egypt agreed recognize Israel as a nation, becoming the first Arab nation to do
so.
o The Camp David Accords also helped secure oil shipments to the U.S.
President Carter
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
● On November 4, 1979, 400 Muslim militants broke into the American embassy
compound in Tehran, the capital of Iran. And took fifty-two embassy workers
hostage.
● In the years before the hostage crisis, an anti-American movement had grown in
Iran, particularly due to America’s support of Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, the
U.S. backed leader of Iran.
● In January 1979, a successful revolution removed the Shah from power.
● A new government was formed under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini.
● Khomeini’s government opposed the United States’s involvement in Iranian politics
since WWII, and convinced the Iranian people that the United States was “the
Great Satan.”
Summary
Who:
What:
When:
Why:
How:
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
● By 1979, the former Shah of Iran, Muhammad Pahlavi, was dying of cancer.
● President Carter allowed the Shah to come to the United States for medical
treatment.
● In response, Iranian militants broke into the American embassy in Tehran and took
fifty-two American citizens hostage.
● The Iranian militants made the following demands:
o President Carter must return the Shah to Iran to face trial for crimes committed
while he ruled Iran.
o President Carter must turn the Shah’s money over to the Iranian government.
● President Carter refused to comply with the Iranian militants demands, instead,
o President Carter froze all Iranian assets in the United States.
o President Carter banned trade with Iran until the hostages were freed.
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
● The Iranian Hostage Crisis lasted for over one year, although Carter’s
administration tried to negotiate with the new Iranian government, both nations
remained in a stalemate.
● The hostage crisis lasted for a total of 444 days.
o President Carter tried to use marine commandos to free the hostages, but the
rescue mission failed, and further hurt the reputation of the United States.
● The Election of 1980
● In the 1980 presidential election, President Carter (Democrat) ran against the
Republican nominee, the Governor of California, Ronald Reagan.
● Governor Reagan promised Americans that he would increase defense spending,
give the state governments more power, cut taxes, balance the American budget,
and reduce inflation.
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
● President Carter’s first term hurt his credibility with many American citizens,
o President Carter could not solve the nation’s stagflation crisis, and he failed to
end the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
● The Election of 1980: Governor Reagan defeated President Carter in a landslide
victory,
o President Carter (Democrat): 49 electoral votes.
o Governor Reagan (Republican): 489 electoral votes.
● President Carter spent his final weeks in office trying to end the Iranian Hostage
Crisis.
● President Carter made the following compromise with the Iranian government.
o If the hostages were released, he would release the Iranian financial assets in
America that had been frozen by the U.S. government at the start of the crisis.
o Finally, on January 20, President Reagan’s inauguration day, the hostages
were released.
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis
Summary
● Who:
● What:
● When:
● Why:
● How: