The Iranian Hostage Crisis November 4, 1979

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The Iranian Hostage CrisisNovember 4, 1979
January 20, 1981

• After a coup in 1953, the CIA reinstalled the
  government of Reza Mohammed Pahlevi The Shah of
  Iran
• The Shah was a U.S. ally that bordered the Soviet
  Union

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The Iranian Hostage CrisisNovember 4, 1979
January 20, 1981

• Irans petrodollars ended up in the hands of the
  Shah and his allies and NOT the mass of Iranian
  people
• He brutalized political opposition (secret
  police)

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis

• The Shah sought to modernize/westernize Iran and
  this met with opposition from Islamic
  fundamentalists
• One of his leading opponents was the Ayatollah
  Khomeini

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis

• Khomeini represented Islamic fundamentalists who
  rejected the westernization of Iran
• They viewed the U.S. as the embodiment of evil
  (The Great Satan)

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis

• In 1978, the Iranian people revolted against the
  Shah (The Iranian Revolution)
• President Carter and the U.S. continued to
  support its long time ally
• The Shah was forced to leave Iran

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis

• November 4, 1979
• Iranian students in Tehran storm the U.S. embassy
  and take Americans hostage

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis

• They hold these hostages for the next 444 days
• Massive anti-U.S. protests are held in the
  streets of Tehran

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis

• The protests and President Carters inability to
  do anything about it frustrated the American
  people
• A botched rescue mission added to the frustration

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The Election of 1980

• Election of 1980 (November 4, 1980)
• 1 year anniversary of the hostage crisis

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The Election of 1980

• Reagan called for an America with greater
  military power
• Vowed we would not be humiliated as a superpower
• Criticized budget deficits and the progressivism
  of the 60s and 70s

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Election of 1980
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The Reagan Presidency1981-1989

• Reagan became the oldest man ever to be elected
  president at age 69
• On the day of his inauguration the hostages were
  released from Iran
• In his inaugural speech he outlined his political
  philosophy

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1st Inaugural AddressJanuary 20, 1981

• In this present crisis, government is not the
  solution to our problem government is the
  problem.
• It is my intention to curb the size and
  influence of the Federal establishment and to
  demand recognition of the distinction between the
  powers granted to the Federal Government and
  those reserved to the States or to the people.

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1st Inaugural AddressJanuary 20, 1981

• We are a nation under God, and I believe God
  intended for us to be free. It would be fitting
  and good, I think, if on each Inauguration Day in
  future years it should be declared a day of
  prayer.
• Can we solve the problems confronting us? Well,
  the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic "yes."

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The Reagan Presidency1981-1989

• The Reagan appeal
• The Great Communicator
• Upbeat, positive, patriotic in the traditional
  sense
• Survived and recovered from an assassination
  attempt, two months in office, with great speed
  and great humor

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The Reagan Presidency1981-1989

• Reaganomics
• Tax cuts
• Cut federal spending/programs
• Deregulation
• Worst economic downturn since the Depression
  (1982) followed by the longest period of economic
  prosperity (to that time), 1983-1989 (low UE and
  low inflation)

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Reagan Foreign Policy

• Staunchly anti-Communist
• Referred to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire
• Lebanon and Grenada (1983-84)
• 220 U.S. Marines in Lebanon killed by two trucks
  lined with explosives
• Within days, the Reagan administration launched a
  successful invasion of the island nation of
  Grenada (in Caribbean)

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Grenada

• The invasion was condemned by the United Nations
  but very popular in the U.S.
• The U.S. was successfully exerting its military
  might again, in the name of freedom and democracy

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Election of 1984

• Reagan runs for re-election claiming it is
  morning again in America
• Economy back on track
• America flexing military might
• Tax cuts
• The Democrats nominate Carters VP, Senator
  Walter Mondale

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Election of 1984
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The Reagan PresidencySecond Term

• The Challenger Disaster (January 28, 1986)

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The Reagan PresidencySecond Term

• Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev
• Negotiate historic arms reduction agreements

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Iran-Contra Scandal (1987)

• Despite a congressional law (Boland Amendment)
  forbidding it, the Reagan administration was
  funneling money to anti-Communist rebels in
  Nicaragua (The Contras)
• The money came from the sale of weapons to Iran
  (at war with Iraq) in exchange for Irans help in
  the release of American hostages in Lebanon

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Iran-Contra Scandal

• Oliver North worked for the NSC and was an
  ex-Marine coordinating this activity
• He became a hero to some Americans for proudly
  proclaiming the illegal act, a neat idea

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Iran-Contra Scandal

• Throughout the process President Reagan claimed
  he had no memory of the events
• A number of Reagan administration officials were
  convicted of crimes in relation to Iran-Contra
• President Reagan was never officially implicated

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The Reagan Legacy

• The Reagan Revolution
• Conservative, anti-government
• The Religious Right
• Budget Deficits
• National Debt Tripled
• Widening gap between rich and poor
• Arms reduction agreements with Gorbachev
• Contributed to the fall of communism in the
  Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
• Restored Americas confidence and sense of pride

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The Bush (41) Presidency1989-1993
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The Bush (41) Presidency1989-1993

• Major Domestic Events and Issues
• Americans With Disabilities Act
• AIDS
• Budget Deficits and Rising National Debt
• Financial Crisis (Savings and Loans (SL) Banks)
• Beginnings of the Internet and the PC

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The Bush (41) Presidency1989-1993

• Major Foreign Events and Issues
• Collapse of the Soviet Union
• Collapse of communism in Eastern Europe (Tearing
  down the Berlin Wall A New World Order)
• China and Tiananmen Square
• Operation Desert Storm The first war with
  Saddam Hussein and Iraq
• Bush puts together a coalition of nations to
  repel Hussein

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The Bush (41) Presidency1989-1993

• Also sent troops to Panama to remove Manuel
  Noriega from power
• Noriega was accused of promoting drug trafficking
  from Panama and Colombia

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Election of 1992

• Recession in 1991
• Bush raised taxes after his read my lips, no new
  taxes pledge
• Billionaire Texas H. Ross Perot entered the race
  as an independent
• Democrats nominate a young, new Democrat, Bill
  Clinton of Arkansas

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Bill Clinton Presidency1993-2001
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Bill Clinton Presidency1993-2001

• Major Domestic Events and Issues
• Clinton ran as a New Democrat
• Increased tax rates on the wealthiest Americans
  but supported cuts in overall government spending
  (The era of big government is over)

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Bill Clinton Presidency1993-2001

• Longest period of peacetime economic growth and
  reduction in budget deficit (Last 2 years were
  surpluses!)Dot.com economy
• Failed attempt at National Health Insurance
• Welfare reform Cuts and work requirement (New
  Democrat)

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Bill Clinton Presidency1993-2001

• Major Domestic Events and Issues
• Waco, WTC, OKC
• Republicans control the H of R for the first time
  in 40 years (1994 midterm election The Contract
  with America)Government shutdown in 1995
• Large reelection victory in 1996
• Poverty fell, 20 million jobs created, Left a
  budget surplus

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Bill Clinton Presidency1993-2001

• Major Foreign Events and Issues
• Sent U.S. troops to Haiti, Somalia, and the
  Balkans
• NAFTA

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The Impeachment and Trial of Bill Clinton

• There were a series of scandalous accusations
  against Clinton throughout his presidency
• While testifying in a case where he was accused
  of sexual harassment, Clinton lied about a sexual
  affair in the Oval Office with a 22 year old
  White House intern named Monica Lewisnsky

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The Impeachment and Trial of Bill Clinton

• A Republican controlled House of Representatives,
  in a strictly partisan vote, filed two charges of
  impeachment against Clinton
• Lying to a Grand Jury
• Obstruction of Justice

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The Impeachment and Trial of Bill Clinton

• Clinton was put on trial in front of the Senate
  and found not guilty
• Lying to the Grand Jury 45 Guilty, 55 Not
  Guilty
• Obstruction of Justice 50 Guilty, 50 Not Guilty
• Clinton left office with a 66 Approval Rating

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The Election of 2000

• The Republicans nominated the governor of Texas,
  and son of a former president, George W. Bush
• The Democrats nominated Clintons VP Al Gore of
  Tennessee

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The Election of 2000

• Gore won the national popular vote (1st time
  since 1888 the winner of the national popular
  vote LOST the election)
• The electoral results in Florida were disputed
  and subject to a recount
• Ironically, Governor Bushs brother Jeb was the
  governor of Florida at the time

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The Election of 2000

• What followed was five weeks of uncertainty and
  intrigue
• The Florida Supreme Court determined that Gore
  won the states electoral votes
• Bush appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court

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The Election of 2000

• Bush v. Gore (2000)
• The Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote decided that
  Floridas disputed votes (25) went to Bush
• Bush won the electoral college 271 to 266

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George W. Bush2001-2009

• Bush ran for president as a person who would
  unify the nation (a compassionate conservative)
  but governed as a divisive ideologue

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September 11, 2001

• And then, for a while, it all didnt matter

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9-11 Aftermath

• The terrorist group Al Qaeda proudly took
  responsibility for the attack
• Al Qaeda had organized itself in Afghanistan and
  Bush sent U.S. troops to dismantle their
  operations and capture their leader OSAMA BIN
  LADEN
• The country was united and the world was with us

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9-11 Aftermath

• Congress passed the PATRIOT ACT
• Telephone and email surveillance
• Detention and deportation of suspected terrorists
  (like 1st Red Scare after WWI)
• The Department of Homeland Security was created

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IRAQ AND WMDS

• In a surprising twist, the Bush administration
  brought forth evidence in 2002 that Saddam
  Hussein and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction
  (WMDs) that could potentially end up in the
  hands of terrorists

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IRAQ AND WMDS

• This was surprising because Iraq had nothing to
  do with September 11th
• Yet, the Bush administration argued that Iraq was
  a threat and we were justified in attacking them
  BEFORE they took any aggressive action against us
  (THE BUSH DOCTRINE)

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IRAQ AND WMDS

• The period of unity in the U.S. was over as was
  our international support
• This was a war of choice on top of the war of
  necessity in Afghanistan
• In a controversial vote, Congress gave President
  Bush the authority to take aggressive action
  against Iraq