1980s-1990s

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1980s-1990s
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1970s

• Religious revival- similar to 1st 2nd Great
  Awakenings
• Supreme Court decisions- backlash
• Rulings on abortion, prayer in schools, teaching
  of evolution

3
Reverend Jerry Falwells

• Moral Majority
• New religious political right
• Economy should have not interference by the
  govt
• Govt should be reduced in size
• Soviet expansionism opposed as form of pagan
  totalitarianism

4

• Wanted Roe-v-Wade reversed
• Darwins evolution replaced by Creationism

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These issues united people

• Became interdenominational political force of
  Evangelical Christians
• By 1980 Falwell- 4 million members

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• Included ministers, priests, rabbis
• Strongest in the South among Baptists
• But strong appeal across country

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Irony

• Supported Reagan
• Not particularly religious
• Divorced
• Went against Jimmy Carter, a self-professed
  born-again Christian

8
1989- Pat RobertsonsChristian Coalition

• Replaced Moral Majority
• Chose Republican party
• Best for transforming its pro-family campaign
  into new public policies

9
Election - 1980

• Ronald Reagan- championed the common man
• Business good
• Government- bad

10

• Condemned federal intervention in local affairs
• Condemned favoritism for minorities
• Boll Weevils- Democrats who supported Reagan

11
Background- Reagan

• Illinois, father alcoholic
• Started as a sports announcer in 1930s
• B Movie Actor
• Nickname- The Gipper

12

• Flair for politics
• President of Screen Actors Guild during McCarthy
  era
• Helped purge communists

13

• Started career as a New Dealer
• But over years became more conservative
• Governor of CA 1966-1974

14
Jimmy Carter

• Bad economy
• Iran hostage crisis
• Senator Edward Kennedy challenged him
• Problem 1969- Chappaquiddick on Marthas Vineyard

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Reagan wins with 51 of vote

• Iranians released day Reagan inaugurated
• January 20, 1981
• Reagan 69 years old

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Major goals

• 1. Decrease size of govt by shrinking the
  federal budget
• Decrease taxes
• AKA- Reaganomics, supply side economics
• Voodoo Economics- Bush, Sr. b/4 on ticket

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March 30, 1981

• Assassination attempt on Reagan
• John Hinkley
• Honey, I forgot to duck
• James Brady paralyzed- led to Brady Bill

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Yuppies

• Young Urban Professionals
• DINKS- Double income no kids
• Pursuit of wealth- 1980s

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Military

• Increased military spending what really helped
  economy
• Deficit increased to 100 billion in 1982
• 200 billion in later years

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New Arms Race

• Star Wars Plan or SDI- Strategic Defense
  Initiative
• High tech, missile defense system
• Plan called for orbiting battle stations in space

21

• Could fire laser beams to vaporize
  intercontinental missile on lift off
• Now thinking offensive rather than defensive
• Most scientists considered this an impossible
  goal
• SDI never happened

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Lebanon

• Reagan sent troops to help anarchy
• Didnt work
• 200 American Marines killed
• Reagan withdrew troops suffered no political
  damage

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Lots of Scandal

• Anne Burford EPA
• Rita Lavelle-chief of toxic cleanup
• Advisor- Edwin Meese
• But President untouched
• Teflon President

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Reagan against

• Unions, ERA
• Requiring equal pay for jobs of comparable worth
  for women
• Decreased funds for Civil Rights
• But

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Sandra Day OConnor

• 1st female Supreme Court justice

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Invasion of Grenada- 1983

• Military coup killed prime minister
• Brought Marxists to power
• 1900 Marines invaded island deposed new govt
• Evacuated small group of Am. Medical students

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• UN condemned action
• But Reagan popular among Grenadans neighbors
• Made Reagan look decisive
• Served notice to other Latin Am. revolutionaries

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Election 1984

• Reagan re-nominated
• Walter Mondale (VP under Carter) Democratic
  nominee

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• Geraldine Ferraro of NY- 1st female VP candidate
  on major party ticket
• Reagan won 59 of vote

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USSR- Gorbachev- 1985

• Instituted reform b/c economy bad
• Glasnost- openness
• Perestroika- restructuring
• 4 summit meetings- Signed INF treaty, banning all
  intermediate range nuclear missiles from Europe

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Gorbachev Reagan
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• 1986- US helped oust Ferdinand Marcos in the
  Philippines

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Space Shuttle

• 1981
• Columbia

35

• First female- 1983
• Sally Ride

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1986- Space shuttle - Challenger
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2003- Columbia exploded

• Re-entering atmosphere

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Iran- Contra Affair

• 1985- Am. Diplomats secretly arranged arms sale
  to Iranians
• In return-aid in getting release of Am. Hostages
  held by terrorists in Lebanon

39

• This went against Reagans oft repeated mantra
  that the US would never negotiate with
  terrorists

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• The from this sale of arms went to the
  Contras in Nicaragua who were fighting a
  communist govt
• This violated a Congressional ban on military aid
  to Nicaraguan rebels

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1986-news broke

• Reagan claimed he was innocent ignorant of acts
  of subordinates

42

• Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North-aid to
  National Security Council- specialized in
  counter-terrorism

43

• North had been running secret operations from the
  basement of the White House involving many govt,
  private, foreign individuals
• Biggest scheme- use profits gained from secret
  sale of military hardware to Iran to subsidize
  the Contra rebels fighting in Nicaragua, at a
  time when Congress had voted to ban such aid

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Oliver North
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• 1. Norths activities approved by National
  Security Advisor Robert McFarlane
• 2. Secretary of Defense- Caspar Weinberger

46

• 3. CIA director- William Casey
• 4. Admiral John Poindexter- National Security
  Advisor

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• McFarlene attempted suicide,
• Poindexter resigned,
• North was fired,
• Casey denied any connection-died of brain
  tumor shortly thereafter

48

• Televised hearings- 1987
• Independent counsel- 6 indictments
• Oliver North found guilty- 3 counts but innocent
  on 9 counts
• Conviction later overturned on appeal

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• John Poindexter only one w/jail sentence
• 6 months for conviction of 5 felony counts
  obstructing lying to Congress
• Not good for Reagan, but

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Reagan one of most popular beloved presidents

• 8 years added nearly 2 trillion to national debt-
  more than all predecessors combined
• Huge deficits prompted Congress in 1986 to pass
  legislation mandating balanced budget by 1991

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1980s known for greed

• Wealthiest benefited most from public policies of
  1980s
• Saving loans govt restrictions were lifted
  which led to risky ventures

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October 19, 1987- Black Monday

• Largest 1 day decline in US history
• Why?
• Countrys great debt
• High trade deficits
• Deregulation of SLs

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1980s- AIDS Epidemic

• Remember Stonewall Riot- 1969

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Election - 1988

• Democrats- Gary Hart- front runner

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• Jesse Jackson- Rainbow coalition of minorities
  disadvantaged

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• Michael Dukakis- MA governor

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Republicans-

• George H.W. Bush- VP
• Ran on Reagans record of tax cut, no abortion,
  strong defense policies
• Lee Atwater- particularly ruthless in Campaign

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• Voter turnout low- only 50 of voting-age
  population
• Most non-voters- young

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George H.W. Bush

• Father US Senator from CT
• Went to Yale, served in WWII
• Made in oil business in TX

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• Deep commitment to public service
• Congressman
• Emissary to China
• Ambassador to UN
• Director of CIA
• VP under Reagan

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• Promised a Kinder, gentler America
• In inaugural address he said, Read my lips, No
  New Taxes.

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1989- Big year

• Tiananmen Square- China- Pro-Democracy movement-
  Crushed
• Public executions

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Solidarity Movement-

• Poland- led way for democracy-
• Toppled Polands communist govt in August
• Hungary, Czch., E. Germany Romanias communist
  govts fell

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• December- 1989- Berlin Wall-dancing

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• Gorbachevs policies led to his resignation in
  1991
• 1991- end of Soviet Union
• Soviet Union dissolved- 15 republics loosely
  confederated

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Boris Yeltsin- leader
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• 1989- Nelson Mandela released from 27 years in
  prison
• By Frederik W. DeKlerk the President of South
  Africa

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South Africa

• DeKlerk- dismantled apartheid
• 4 years later Mandela became President
• Both DeKlerk Mandella won Nobel Peace Prize

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• Bush spoke hopefully of a New World Order
• Where democracy would reign diplomacy would
  supersede weaponry

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• ? About Soviet nuclear arsenal
• START II accord w/Yeltsin
• Decrease long-range nuclear arsenals by 2/3 w/in
  10 years
• Therefore, US decreased military spending which
  hurt economy

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Panama- problems

• Manuel Noriega - Dictator
• 1989- Bush sent troops to capture dictator drug
  lord

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Persian Gulf Crisis

• August 1990- Saddam Hussein, ruler of Iraq sent
  troops to overrun Kuwait
• Why? Oil
• War w/Iran that ended in stalemate left huge war
  bills

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• Larger plan was to control entire Persian Gulf
  region
• Irony- we had helped Hussein by supplying arms to
  Iraq during the war with Iran- helped build their
  war machine
• The enemy of my enemy is my friend- ha

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UN Security Council condemned invasion

• Demanded immediate unconditional w/drawal of
  Iraqs troops
• Ultimatum given- leave by Jan. 1991 or else

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US in charge of military deployment

• 539,000 US soldiers, sailors, pilots
• 270,000 troops from 28 other countries

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Operation Desert Storm

• Jan. 16, 1991- air war against Iraq
• Lasted 37 days
• Iraq responded by launching scud missiles

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• Allied Commander- Norman Schwarzkopf

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• Colin Powell Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
  Staff
• Land war only 4 days
• Feb. 27, 1991- Saddam accepted cease-fire
  Kuwait liberated

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• US soldiers seen as heroes
• But we didnt get Saddam

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• 1990
• Prohibited discrimination against 43 million US
  citizens with physical or mental disabilities
• When wheelchair access became required

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Supreme Court

• Clarence Thomas nominated 1991
• Critical of affirmative action policies
• Chosen to fill seat of Thurgood Marshall

82

• Nomination opposed by labor groups , NAACP, and
  NOW
• Anita Hill- law professor U of OK alleged that he
  had sexually harassed her

83

• Hearing marked new surge in womens movement
• Gender gap grew in Republican Party

84
Poor economy- 1992 for Bush

• 7 unemployment terrible federal deficit
• Bush forced to increase taxes
• Political suicide b/c 1988 promise

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1992- 27th amendment passed

• Prohibited congressional pay raises from taking
  effect until election had seated a new Congress
• 1st proposed in 1789 by James Madison

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Election 1992

• Democrats- Bill Clinton- Hope, AR
• 1979- at age 32, Governor of AR
• Committed to bringing back middle-class white
  voters

87

• Never saw govt as the enemy
• I think it has to be reformed so that the
  taxpayers feel it serves them. BC

88

• Promised to stimulate economy, reform welfare
  system, fix health care, cut defense budget ,
  give tax relief to middle class
• Broke balanced ticket tradition- Al Gore from TN

89
George H.W. Bush- Republican

• Immediately after Gulf War Bush Dan Quayle
  seemed unbeatable

90

• But as James Carville said
• Its the economy stupid.

91
Ross Perot- Independent
92

• Clinton wins
• 1st baby boomer president
• Started w/ Democratic majority in both houses

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Problems

• Slick Willie
• Adulterer
• Draft dodger
• Distrust of personal character

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Janet Reno

• 1st female Attorney General
• On 1st days on job
• Issue in Waco, TX

95

• Branch Davidians- David Koresh

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• Reports of stockpiling arms, abusing children,
  violated immigration laws
• Feb. 1993-50 days psychological warfare-no
  results

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• FBI attacked w/ armored vehicles tear gas
• Found Koresh dead- suicide
• 77 members died in fires
• Reno took immediate responsibility

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Supreme Court

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Joined Sandra Day OConnor

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Homosexuals in Military

• Clinton wanted to end ban on gays in the military
• Met w/resistance
• Ended up with
• Dont ask, dont tell.

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1st law signed by Pres. Clinton

• Family Leave Act- (vetoed 2 times by Bush)
• Applied to govt workers employees in companies
  with 50 or more workers

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• Workers allowed up to 12 weeks each year
• to deal with the birth or adoption of a child or
  with an illness in the family

102
Health Care Fiasco

• Highly criticized
• Hillary Clinton in charge

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Brady Bill- 1993

• Gun Control Law

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NAFTA

• North American Free Trade Agreement
• Successor to GATT-General Agreement on Tariffs
  Trade

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1993- World Trade Center bombed

• 6 killed

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1995- OK City Federal Office Building

• 169 killed-supposedly b/c Waco
• Timothy McVey executed
• Terry Nichols

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Disgust with Govt

• Contract With America
• Newt Gingrich- Speaker of House
• 300 Republicans signed contract
• Welfare reform bill
• Went too far

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Election 1996

• Good Economy
• Bob Dole- Republican WWII Veteran

110

• Ross Perot-Reform Party
• Bill Clinton- Democrat
• Clinton wins

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Corruption

• Whitewater Land Deal
• Bill Hillary b/4 went to Washington
• Vincent Foster
• Special Prosecutor- during 1st term

112
Clinton impeached

• Lied under oath
• Sexual involvement
• Monica Lewinsky, an intern at White House
• Part of lawsuit filed by Paula Jones

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1988

• Impeached in the House of Representatives
• 1. Perjury
• 2. Obstruction of Justice
• Found not guilty by Senate
• 12/88- Lawsuit settled 850,000 w/no apology

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1990s

• Fastest growing age group- oldest ones
• Sunbelt continues to grow