THE RESURGENCE OF CONSERVATISM AND THE

NEW MILLENNIUMUnit 7 – 1969-2001

The New Politics of Identity Civil Rights Movement led to

“identity” movements among other minorities“Identity Politics”Emphasize cultural differences and

significance in recognizing these Primarily among 3 distinct

groups:African AmericansNative AmericansLatinos

African Americans Redefine the Movement Many rejected the early

Civil Rights mantra that “we are all the same”

Found faith in a distinct African American cultureCreated black studies

departments at collegesKwanzaa (1966)○ Celebration of African

cultural heritage

Mexican American Activism Many lived in poverty

1974: only 21% of Mexican American men graduate high school

Cesar ChavezHead of the United Farm Workers

(UFW)Fought for better wages for

migrant laborers La Raza

Youths proclaimed their own heritage, formed La Raza Unida○ Political organization working to get

Mexican Americans elected to representative parties

Native American Activism “Red Power” Movement American Indian Movement

(radical)Occupied Bureau of Indian Affair in

1972 and Wounded Knee in 1973 National Congress of American

Indians (moderate)Worked for legislation; Congress

returned millions of acres of land to N.A.’s

Native Americans still live in worse conditions than most Americans

Women’s Movement The Feminine Mystique (1963)

Women were plagued by “the problem with no name”

Signaled the beginning of a new women’s movement

AccomplishmentsAwareness of issues dealing with women’s health

and rights, rape crisis centers, access to birth control

Roe v. Wade (1973)Passage of ERA by Congress (was not ratified,

1982) Opposition

Came from women who argued that feminists were trying to destroy traditional gender role, family unit

Phyllis Schlafly

End in Vietnam Nixon runs on platform: “peace with honor”

“Vietnamization” – build-up of S. Vietnamese forces to fight the war

Bombing/Invasion of CambodiaAnti-war protests surged across the nation

Pentagon Papers – published by NY Times in June 1971Showed that administration officials (LBJ and Nixon)

had repeatedly lied to the American public January 27, 1973 – cease-fire agreement

between U.S. and North Vietnamese April 29, 1975 – Saigon overrun by North

Vietnamese troops

Nixon’s Foreign Policy Recognized that American

power was waningNixon Doctrine – economic aid to

countries, but no longer military aid○ Essentially an end to containment,

and the Truman Doc. (1947) Détente – relaxation of

tensions between U.S. and SovietsBoth nations were struggling to

fight the Cold War economicallyDétente made sense to both

Nixon’s Foreign Policy Opening of China

America recognized Communist China (1979)Nixon visited in 1972○ Perhaps his greatest achievement was the

Opening of China Middle East

Deteriorating relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians after the Six Day War (1967)

Yom Kippur War (1973)○ OPEC embargoed oil to U.S. and Israel’s allies○ Led to oil crisis in America

Economic Crisis Stagflation = high unemployment and high

inflationCauses?○ Vietnam War and Great Society increased

spending○ Trade deficits (1971 first time in history for U.S.)

Energy Crisis of 1973Oil shot up 350% (OPEC cut off oil)

Attempts to fix the economyWent off the gold standard (Nixon), curbed

federal spending and urged the Fed to tighten credit (Ford), Stimulate the economy (Carter)○ None worked

Economic Crisis Impact?

America began to “deindustrialize” in the 1970s○ Became a service economy

OutsourcingMore married women joined the workforceMigration to the Sunbelt○ Government had invested heavily in the

region, defense jobsLower taxes (37 cut property tax, 28 cut

income tax)Consumer debt skyrocketed

Era of Cultural Transformation Environmentalism

Natural disasters ○ Cuyahoga River Fire (1970),

Three Mile Island (1979), Love Canal (1980)

EPA created in 1970 Family roles and the

acceptance of sexuality were becoming more liberal

Racial diversitySeen as a good thing, instead

of something to overcome (think C.R. movement of the 1950s)

THE CRISIS OF LEADERSHIPWatergate and Beyond

Domestic Agenda In many ways, very liberal

Affirmative action, expanded National Endowment for Humanities and Arts, supported the ERA, signed major environmental legislation, etc.

Also conservativeState’s rights, federal revenue

sharing with states Used Agnew to paint

democrats as supporters of hippies, crime, and drugs

Paranoia Saw enemies everywhere

Made a list of enemies hundreds of names long

The PlumbersSecret group authorized by

the president to engage in illegal activities

Example: broke into the psychiatrist’s office treating Daniel Ellsberg (released the Pentagon Papers) to find information to discredit him

Worked to get Nixon reelected in 1972

Charles Colson, one of the “Watergate Seven”; originally in charge of the White House Plumbers

Watergate Plumbers bugged the DNC

office in Watergate Hotel in 1972Caught by police

Nixon did not know of the break-in before it happened…

…but once he learned of it, he tried to cover it upHad CIA stop the FBI’s

investigation This was obstruction of justice

– an impeachable offense

“Who Would Think of Doing Such a Thing?” - Washington Post, June 20, 1972

Watergate The tapesNixon recorded every conversation

he had in the Oval Office○ …for his memoirs

Congress fought to get them released

October 1973 – Spiro Agnew resignsAccepted brides while governor of

Maryland House began impeachment

proceedings; tapes were eventually released (edited)Nixon constantly cursed, used racist

slursShocked the nation

He resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974

Ford and Carter Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

Took over when Nixon resignedImmediately pardoned Nixon○ Approval ratings plummeted○ Accomplished little due to a

Democratic Congress which was willing to flex its muscles

Jimmy Carter (D – 1977-1980)Peanut farmer, sold himself as

an honest outsider to Washington○ By most accounts he was; also

refused much of the deal-making necessary to pass legislation

Carter’s Foreign Policy Carter’s Administration would be dominated by

foreign eventsGave Panama Canal back to Panama (1977; 2000)Camp David Accords (HUGE accomplishment; peace

between Egypt, an Arab nation, and Israel) Ultimately his administration was shaped by

foreign failuresCold War deepened for a timeSoviet Invasion of AfghanistanIranian Hostage Crisis

He lost in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, in large part due to his mixed success with foreign policy