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Contemporary
History
What have been three causes of
social and cultural change in
America during the last 50 years?
• Diversity in the workplace
– Women and minorities
– The Supreme Court’s Role
• New immigrant groups
• Technology revolution
Where have many
American women
found personal
satisfaction?
•In the workplace
How has the percentage
of women in America’s
labor force changed in
contemporary America?
•Increased
Do American women
still suffer sexual
discrimination?
•YES!
What law prohibits
sex discrimination
by employers?
• Civil Rights Act
of 1964
In contemporary
America what percentage
of American women
work outside the home?
•More than 50%
By the end of the 1970s,
what kind of jobs did
many American women
hold?
•Nontraditional
jobs
How has the Supreme Court
become more diverse since the
civil rights movement of the
1940’s , 1950’s , and 1960’s?
• Women- Sandra Day
O’Connor, Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor
st
(1 Hispanic), Elena Kagan
How has the Supreme Court
become more diverse since the
civil rights movement of the
1940’s , 1950’s , and 1960’s?
• Clarence Thomas (2nd
African American after
Thurgood Marshall)
Who was the first
woman appointed to
the Supreme Court?
•Sandra Day
O’Connor
Since Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka, Kansas
(1954) the decisions of the
Supreme Court have expanded
and protected the rights of
individuals.
The Civil Rights movement of
the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s
provided a model that other
groups used to help promote civil
rights and equal justice for all
The Supreme Court protects an
individual’s rights as written in
the Constitution.
The Supreme Court identifies a
constitutional basis for a right to
privacy that is protected from
government interference.
The Supreme Court invalidates
legislative acts and executive actions
that the justices agree
exceed the authority granted to
government officials by the
Constitution of the United States.
• The United States Supreme Court, the highest court in the United
States, in 2010. Top row (left to right): Associate Justice Sonia
Sotomayor, Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice
Samuel A. Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Bottom row (left
to right): Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Associate Justice
Anthony Kennedy, and Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
What branch of the gov’t.
has protected the rights
of American women and
minorities in the
workplace?
• Judicial Branch
• Supreme Court
Name four
problems faced
by American
women in the
workplace.
• 1. Day Care
• 2. Equal Pay
• 3. The “Pink Collar”
Ghetto
• 4. The “Glass
Ceiling”
What term means
women often hold lowprestige, low-paying
jobs?
• The “Pink Collar”
Ghetto
Give one example of
a “pink collar”
ghetto job.
•Clerical jobs, like
•Secretaries
What idea argues that
career advancement for
women is not equal to
that for men?
•The “Glass Ceiling”
Give an example of
the “glass ceiling.”
• Few women are CEO’s
or heads of major
corporations.
From what 2 regions of
the world have many
contemporary
immigrants come?
• Asia
• Latin America
For what two reasons
have most contemporary
immigrants come to the
U.S.?
• Political Freedom
• Economic Opportunity
Immigration Policy In America
Issues related to our policy
• Strain on government services
• · Filling low-paying jobs in the United
States
• · Border issues
• · Pathway to citizenship
• · Bilingual education – E.S.L
• · Increasing cultural diversity
Give 2 examples of
contemporary immigrants who
have come to the U.S. for both
political freedom and economic
opportunity.
• South Vietnamese
• Cubans
From what country have
millions of contemporary
immigrants emigrated mainly
for economic opportunity?
•Mexico
Name 4 effects of
contemporary
immigration on
American society
and culture.
• 1) Bilingual education and
ESL courses in public
schools
• 2) Effects on public policy
• 3) Effects on American
politics and voting patterns
• 4) Lasting contributions
What is an ESL
course?
•English as a Second
Language
How has Cuban
immigration influenced
American public policy?
•American trade
embargo on Cuba
What does
embargo mean?
•Refuse to trade with
another country
Give 2 examples of
how contemporary
immigrants have
affected American
politics and voting
patterns.
• 1) Cuban-Americans in
Florida vote
Republican.
• 2) Mexican-Americans
in California vote
Democratic.
Give 3 examples of
lasting contributions to
American culture
made by contemporary
immigrants.
• Diversity in music, the
visual arts, and literature
• · Roles in the labor force
• · Achievements in
science, engineering, and
other fields
What type of jobs have
contemporary
immigrants often
filled?
•Low paying jobs
Give an example of a low
paying job held by
contemporary
immigrants.
•Farm Workers
What recent
technological advances
have given more
Americans access to
global information and
brought changes in work,
school, and health care?
Examples of technological
advances
Space exploration
• Space shuttle
• Mars rover
• Voyager missions
• Hubble telescope
• Space Station
•Personal Computers
•World Wide Web
Communications
•Cable Television (24 hr. news
channels)
•Satellites
•Global positioning system
(GPS)
•Personal communications
devices
•Robotics
What program was a
triumph of American
technology?
•The Space
Program
What president pledged
increased support for the
American space
program?
•John F. Kennedy
Who was the 1st
American to orbit
the Earth?
•John Glenn
Who was the 1st
American to step onto
the surface of the
moon?
•Neil Armstrong
What American said,
“That’s one small step for
man, one giant leap for
mankind”?
•Neil Armstrong
Who was the
first American
woman in space?
•Sally Ride
· Communications
•
•
•
•
•
Cable Television (24 hr. news channels)
Satellites
Global positioning system (GPS)
Personal communications devices
Robotics
Personal Computers & Internet
• Microsoft and Apple
• Online course work
• better access to communication and
information has given most Americans
access to global information and
viewpoints.
Changes in work, school, and
health care in recent decades
• Growth of service industries
• Breakthroughs in medical research,
including improved medical diagnostic and
imaging technologies
• Outsourcing and offshoring
What recent technology
has allowed workers to
do their jobs from home?
• Telecommuting
through the Internet
What recent technology has
opened up educational
possibilities through distance
learning?
•The Internet
How has technology in the
2nd half of the 20th century
affected medical research?
• Important
breakthroughs in
medical research
Who developed a
lifesaving vaccine for
polio?
•Dr. Jonas Salk
• America has been and continues to be a
world leader in fighting a host of the most
troublesome diseases from around the
world.
• AIDS
• Cancer
• Malaria
• Measles
The Reagan Revolution
• Ronald Reagan’s policies had an impact on
the relationship between the federal
government and state governments.
• The conservative political philosophy of
President Reagan prompted a reevaluation
of the size and role of government in the
economy and society of contemporary
America.
Reagan Revolution cont.
• President Reagan and conservative Republicans
advocated for
– tax cuts
– transfer of responsibilities to state governments
– appointment of judges/justices who exercised “judicial
restraint”
– reduction in the number and scope of government
programs and regulations
– strengthening of the American military.
More than just 8 years.
The “Reagan Revolution” extended beyond his
tenure in office with
• the election of his vice president, George H. W.
Bush 1989
• the election of a centrist Democrat, William J.
Clinton 1993
• the Republican sweep of congressional elections
and statehouses in the 1990s
• the election of George W. Bush as president. 2001
• What was the impact of
the “Reagan Revolution”
on federalism, the role of
government, and state and
national elections since
1988?
How government relates
to our economy
• The federal government has the ability to
influence the United States economy. It
bases its decisions on economic indicators
such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
exchange rates, rate of inflation, and
unemployment rate.
How government relates
to our economy
• Government promotes a healthy economy
characterized by full employment and low
inflation through the actions of
• the Federal Reserve: Monetary policy decisions
control the supply of money and credit to expand
or contract economic growth.
• the president and Congress: Fiscal policy
decisions determine levels of government taxation
and spending; government regulates the economy.
America and International
Terrorism
• The United States has confronted the
increase in international terrorism by
formulating domestic and international
policies aimed at stopping terrorism.
America and International
Terrorism
• United States responses to terrorism
– Heightened security at home (Patriot Act)
• An act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law
by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001.
• The Act dramatically reduced restrictions on law
enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, email communications, medical, financial, and other
records.
America and International
Terrorism
– Diplomatic and military initiatives
• Diplomatic
• Military
– Iraq
– Afghanistan
– Other locations around the world