US HISTORY
CHAPTER 28 POLITICS AND ECONOMICS 1971-1980
Sec. 1
Nixon Administration
-protest, violence, and turmoil were commonplace in the 60s, many
citizens had grown tired of it and wanted it to end- 1968 Election,
Nixon appealed to many frustrated citizens- Nixon, the Republican
candidate tailored much of his campaign to “Middle America” and
the Silent Majority- promised peace with honor in Vietnam, law
and order, to streamline the government and return to traditional
values
Election of 1968
-Nixon’s main opposition came from the Democratic nominee
Hubert Humphrey, VP under Johnson, and third party candidate
segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace- Wallace had
strong support in the South, won 13.5% of the popular vote, the
most for a third party candidate since the 1924 election- Nixon
won 43.4% and Humphrey 42.7% of the popular vote- Nixon 301
electoral votes, Humphrey 191
Southern Strategy
-key to Nixon’s victory was a strong showing in the South- to get
Southern support away from the Democrats, Nixon met with South
Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, 1. promised to appoint only
conservatives to federal courts, 2. name a Southerner to the
Supreme Court to oppose court-ordered busing, 3. chose a VP
candidate acceptable to the South, choose Spiro T. Agnew,
Governor of Maryland- strategy worked- Humphrey won only one
Southern state, Texas- Wallace won most of the states in the Deep
South- Nixon won: Va., Te., Ky., N.C., and with Thurmond’s help
S.C.- after the election Nixon worked to bring more Southerners
into the Republican Party- Nixon kept his promises to Thurmond,
took steps to slow desegregation, worked to overturn several civil
rights policies- reversed Johnson’s policy of cutting federal funds
for fully racially segregated schools
Law and Order President
-set out to fight crime in America- anti-war protestors became a
target- Attorney General John Mitchell declared he would
prosecute hard-line militants who crossed state lines to stir up
riots- Deputy Attorney General Richard Kleindienst boasted the
administration would enforce the law against draft evaders, against
radical students, against deserters, against civil disorder, against
organized crime, and against street crime- Nixon attacked the
Supreme Court and Chief Justice Earl Warren, promised to fill the
Court openings with judges that would support the rights of law
enforcement over the rights of suspected criminals- Warren retired
and Nixon replaced him with Warren Burger, conservative judge,
also able to place three other conservative judges on the Court, one
from the South- Burger Court did not reverse the Warren Court on
the rights of the accused- did refuse to expand the rights of the
accused- Stone v. Powell, 1976 agreed to limits on the rights of
defendants to appeal state convictions to the federal court system-
continued to uphold capital punishment as Constitutional
New Federalism
-many Republicans wanted to do away with a number of federal
programs, return control to state and local governments- Nixon
called this New Federalism- allowed government agencies closest
to the people the opportunity to address more issues- dismissed the
popular idea that the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. knew what
was best for the people and that they cold not effectively govern
themselves- New Federalism, Congress passed revenue-sharing
bills, giving federal dollars to state and local agencies- revenue
sharing was intended to return power to the state and local
governments, in reality it gave the federal government more
power, states relied on federal government for funds, to get the
funds the federal government could impose conditions on states or
the funding would be cut off- Nixon worked to limit the
responsibilities of the federal government while at the same time
expand the power of the executive branch- Nixon did not build
strong supportive relationship with Congress- this and the fact the
Democrats controlled both houses of Congress led to struggles
between Nixon and the legislative branch- Nixon attempted to
work around Congress, using greater executive authority- if
Congress appropriated funds for a program Nixon opposed he
impounded or refused to release the funds- Supreme Court later
ruled the practice of impoundment unconstitutional
Family Assistance Plan
-Nixon worked to reform AFDC, part of the welfare system, under
the current system it was more beneficial for the poor to rely solely
on the government than to take a low-paying job- with a job the
parent had to pay for child care which resulted in less income than
received from welfare- there was also inequality in the way the
states administered AFDC- 1969, Nixon proposed to Congress the
Family Assistance Plan, guaranteed income of $1,600 per year to
supplement outside earnings- liberals liked it as a commitment by
the federal government to help the poor- Nixon pushed it as a
conservative measure that would reduce federal supervision and
encourage welfare recipients to become more responsible-
approved by the House in 1970, welfare recipients complained that
the money amount was too low- conservatives disapproved of a
guaranteed income- plan defeated by the Senate
Foreign Policy
-Nixon disliked domestic policy, had hoped his cabinet could
handle domestic affairs- Nixon was very strong with foreign
policy- Nixon’s foreign policy brought about a new relationship
with China and the Soviet Union
Nixon and Kissinger
-N.Y. Times v. US, 1971- New York Times sued Nixon,
concerning the Pentagon Papers, Supreme Court ruled that
Nixon’s prior restraint of the Pentagon Papers was
unconstitutional
-Nixon chose Henry Kissinger as his national security advisor-
Kissinger had served both Kennedy and Johnson as a foreign
policy consultant- Kissinger in theory was a subordinate to Sec. of
State William Rogers, but Kissinger played a prominent role in
developing foreign policy for Nixon- Nixon and Kissinger shared
foreign policy views: US must work for a gradual withdrawal in
Vietnam in order to prevent damage to the reputation of the US in
the world, foreign policy should be based on practical approaches
not ideologies- the decades old anti-communist containment policy
was too rigid and worked against the best interests of the US-
Nixon wanted to contain communism, but wanted engagement and
negotiation with the Soviets to allow the US to achieve
international goals- moved towards friendlier relations with China
and the Soviets
Détente`
-Soviets were not happy Nixon elected- saw him as strongly anti-
communist, felt the Soviet leaders would have to deal with a
stubborn president-Nixon wanted to move form the point where
the two superpowers confronted each other to one where the US
understood the role that China, Japan, and Western Europe would
play in international affairs- Kissinger helped Nixon move to
détente` = a relaxation of tensions between the US and the Soviets
and China- Nixon explained to the public that the US must build a
better relationship with the Soviets and Chinese in the interest of
world peace
Nixon visits China
-since 1949, when the communists took power in China the US had
refused to recognize the communists as the legitimate government
of China- recognized the exiled government on the island of
Taiwan as the Chinese government-Nixon reversed this policy,
lifted trade and travel restrictions and withdrew the US Seventh
Fleet that had been defending Taiwan- secret talks took place
between Kissinger and Chinese leaders which led to Nixon visiting
China in Feb., 1972- first US President to visit communist China-
during the historic visit leaders of both nations agreed to establish
more normal relations between the two countries- banquet toast,
Nixon “ Let us start a long march together, not in lockstep, but on
different roads leading to the same goal, the goal of building a
world structure of peace and justice”- Nixon strengthened ties with
China, but encouraged the Soviets to pursue diplomacy- during the
1960s, tension had developed between the communist government
in China and the Soviet Union, troops from both nations clashed
along the Soviet-Chinese border- Nixon hoped that détente` with
China would force the Soviet Premier Leonoid Brezhnev to
become more accommodating to the US
US-Soviets Ease Tensions
-Nixon was correct that détente` with China would improve US-
Soviet relations- shortly after the US-China negotiations made
public the Soviets proposed an American-Soviet summit, May,
1972- May 22, 1972 Nixon flew to Moscow for a week long
summit- first American President since WWII to visit the Soviet
Union- during the Moscow Summit the leaders signed the first
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)- plan to limit
nuclear arms the two nations had been developing, also agreed to
increase trade and the exchange of scientific information- détente`
eased tensions, by the end of the Nixon years one Soviet official
admitted that the US and Soviet Union had the best relationship of
the Cold War period- Nixon had successfully embarked on a
course on new foreign policy for the US
Sec. 2
Watergate Scandal
Roots of Watergate
-Watergate originated from the Nixon administrations attempt to
cover up involvement in the break-in at the Democratic National
Committee (DNC) headquarters and of other illegal actions during
Nixon’s re-election campaign- started with the break-in at the
Watergate Hotel, scholars also credited it to Nixon’s character and
the atmosphere created by Nixon and his advisors in the White
House
Nixon and His Enemies
-Nixon had worked hard to become President, lost to JFK in 1960,
but won in 1968- during those years Nixon had grown defensive,
secretive, and resentful of critics- Nixon was elected when the US
was at war abroad and at war with itself- race riots and war
protests consumed the nation- Nixon saw protestors and other
radicals as those who wanted to bring down his administration-
Nixon complied a list of enemies, filled with people from
politicians to members of the media he considered a threat to his
presidency
Re-Election 1972
-during the 1972 campaign many in Nixon’s administration felt he
would be re-elected- had just opened up relationship with China
and had successful diplomacy with the Soviets- May, 1972,
George Wallace dropped out as a third party candidate as the result
of an assassination attempt that left him paralyzed- Democrats
nominated South Dakota Senator George McGovern, viewed as
too liberal on many issues to be elected- Nixon had high approval
ratings on foreign issues, but the Vietnam War was still unpopular
and dissent among the American public grew- 1968 Election had
been close and Nixon staffers wanted every advantage they could
get for the 1972 race- Nixon’s re-election team used subversive
tactics, spying on opposition rallies, spread rumors and false
reports- also engaged in efforts to steal information from the DNC
headquarters at the Watergate- wanted sensitive campaign
information and to wiretap office phones- burglars went to work, a
security guard making his rounds saw tape holding a door lock
open, took off the tape, but later noticed it had been reapplied,
called the police who arrested men involved in the break-in
Cover-up Begins
-after the arrests, media found out one of the burglars, James
McCord, was an ex-CIA official and a member of the Committee
for the Re-Election of the President (CRP)- reports circulated that
the burglars had been paid to break-in from a secret CRP slush
fund controlled by the White House- questions began as to a White
House connection in the break-ins- cover-up began- administration
officials destroyed incriminating documents, provided false
testimony to investigators- Nixon stepped in, may not have ordered
the break-in, did order the cover-up- Nixon okayed a request by
administration officials to have the CIA stop the FBI from
investigating the source of the money paid to the burglars, such an
investigation would threaten national security- White House
denied involvement in the break-in and Nixon’s press secretary
dismissed the event as a “third rate burglary attempt”- most
Americans believed the President when he said “ The White House
has no involvement whatever in this particular incident”- the
media, especially the Washington Post tried to keep the story alive,
staff writers, Woodward and Bernstein, had a contact in the
White House who leaked them information (Deep Throat) few
people paid much attention to the Watergate Affair during the 1972
Election- Nixon won by one of the largest margins in history with
61% of the popular vote and 520 electoral votes to McGovern’s 17
Cover-up Unravels
-after re-election Nixon tells his staff that 1973 “can be the best
year ever”- this prediction proved to be false- as the Watergate
Affair came before the public again, and in reality 1973 would be
one of if not the worst year of Nixon- 1973, Watergate burglars
went on trial- under pressure from federal judge John J. Sirica,
James McCord agreed to cooperate with both a grand jury
investigation and with the Senate’s Select Committee on
Presidential Campaign Activities, established by Senator Sam
Ervin of N.C.- McCord’s testimony led to confessions and one
after another White House and campaign officials who exposed
one illegality after another over the next several months- most
important one was the counsel to the President John Dean who
leveled allegations against Nixon- June, 1973 Dean testified before
Ervin’s committee that former Attorney General John Mitchell
had ordered the break-in and Nixon played an active role in the
cover-up- the Nixon administration denied the charges- Senate
committee had to determine who was telling the truth- July 16,
1973, White House aide Alexander Butterfield testified that
Nixon had a taping system in the White House to record all
conversations- Butterfield said Nixon had done this to help him
write his memoirs after he left office- members of the Senate
committee felt the tapes would reveal exactly what Nixon knew
and when he knew it
The Tapes
-all involved in the investigation wanted access to the tapes- Nixon
refused claimed executive privilege, White House conversations
remained a secret to protect national security- special prosecutor
Archibald Cox appointed by Nixon to handle the Watergate cases
took Nixon to court in 1973 to force him to turn over the tapes-
Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox,
Richardson refused and resigned in protest- Solicitor General
Robert Bork fired Cox, called “The Saturday Night Massacre” in
the press, hurt Nixon’s reputation with the public- fall of 1973,
Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was force to resign in disgrace, it
had been revealed that while Governor of Maryland Agnew had
asked for kick backs from state contractors and had continued to
take bribes while serving in Washington- Gerald Ford,
Republican Leader of the House of Representatives was chosen as
the new Vice President- Nixon now forced to defend against
allegations of improper past financial dealings
Nixon Resigns
-to quiet the growing outrage Nixon appointed a new special
prosecutor Leon Jaworski, who pushed to get the tapes, April,
1974, Nixon released transcripts of the tapes, claimed they proved
his innocence- July, 1974, U.S. v. Nixon, the Supreme Court ruled
Nixon had to turn over the tapes, they were not protected under
executive privilege, Nixon complied- within days the House
Judiciary Committee voted to impeach Nixon, charged Nixon with
Presidential misconduct, obstruction of justice in the Watergate
cover-up, misused federal agencies to violate the rights of the
citizens, and defied the authority of Congress by refusing to deliver
the tapes and other materials requested by the committee- next
step, the House of Representatives had to vote whether or not to
impeach Nixon, investigators found hard evidence against the
President on the tapes- June 23, 1972, six days after Watergate,
Nixon ordered the CIA to stop the FBI investigation of the break-
in- with all of the evidence it was certain to all, even Nixon
supporters that he would be impeached and convicted- August 19,
1974 Nixon resigned from office- Gerald Ford took the oath of
office and became the 38th President
Impact of Watergate
-Ford urged Americans to put Watergate behind them and move
on- effects of the scandal endured long after Nixon’s resignation-
series of new laws passed to limit the power of the executive
branch and to re-establish a balance of power in government-
Federal Campaign Act Amendments: limited campaign
contributions and created an independent agency to administer
stricter election laws- Ethics in Government Act, required
financial disclosure by high government officials in all three
branches- FBI Domestic Security Investigation Guidelines,
restricted the FBI’s political intelligence-gathering activities-
Congress established a way to appoint an independent counsel to
investigate and prosecute wrongdoing by high government
officials- Watergate left many Americans with a distrust of public
officials- Watergate did show that no person was above the law
Sec. 3
Ford and Carter
Economic Crisis of the 1970s
-after WWII the US economy was strong throughout the 50s and
60s- Americans enjoyed a prolonged period of prosperity and
assumed it would continue- in large part the economic boom was
due to easy access to raw materials from around the world and a
strong manufacturing base in America- 1970s both of these began
to falter-boom years gave way to a decade of economic hard times
Economic Problems
-economic problems began in the mid 60s- under LBJ the
government ran large deficits to pay for Vietnam and the Great
Society, but no tax increase to cover the costs- too much money in
the economy led to inflation- another cause of inflation; the
increased cost of raw materials, the cost of oil increased- US
economy was based on the availability of cheap and abundant
fossil fuels- US had the highest volume of oil consumption in the
world- US had become dependent on importation of oil from the
Middle East and Africa- OPEC, sold oil for member nations- price
of oil had remained low until the 70s- 1970s OPEC used oil as a
political and economic weapon- 1973 Yom Kipper War, conflict
between Israel and the Arab world, modern Israel founded 1948,
most Arab nations did not recognize the right of Israel to exist, US
support of Israel made American relations with the Arab world
shaky- 1973, OPEC announced an embargo (Arab Oil Embargo)
on nations that supported Israel- US and some Western European
nations affected- OPEC increased the price of crude oil 70% than
an additional 130% a few months later- US suffered first oil
shortage since WWII- embargo lasted only a few months, but oil
prices continued to climb-OPEC increase prices three times in the
70s and again in 1980- price of a barrel of crude oil went from $3
in 1970 to $30 in 1980- increase in oil prices fueled inflation in the
American economy- high prices for gasoline and home heating oil
resulted in less money spent on other consumer goods which sent
the American economy into a recession
Stagflation
-after WWII the US began to face competition in manufacturing
from other nations- many factories in the US closed,
unemployment up- new jobs emerged in the information and
service sectors- industrial workers did not have the needed skills
for these jobs, result was a growing number of unemployed and
underemployed workers- 1970s Nixon faced a new economic
problem, stagflation, rising prices and economic stagnation- many
economists who emphasized demand side economic theory did not
think inflation and recession could occur at the same time, believed
demand drove prices and inflation only occurred in a booming
economy when demand for goods was greater than the supply of
goods- which fiscal policy to pursue was problematic, increased
government spending would ease recession but fuel inflation,
increased taxation would address inflation but keep the economy in
a recession- Nixon wanted to control inflation, cut government
spending and increased taxation- increased taxes should result in a
decrease in consumer spending, demand would drop and drive
down prices- Congress and much of the American public was
opposed to a tax increase- Nixon tried to get the Federal Reserve
board to raise interest rates to reduce spending, this was
unsuccessful- Nixon imposed a 90-Day freeze on wages and
prices, and issued federal regulations limiting future wage and
price increases- Nixon resigned in 1974, inflation high and
unemployment exceeded 5%
Ford Takes Office
-Ford was considered a decent and honest if not a dynamic leader,
degree from Yale Law School, naval service in WWII, served in
the House of Representatives beginning in 1949, elected minority
leader of the House in 1965, Ford would need all of his experience
while in office
Ford Pardons Nixon
-Ford in office one month when his efforts to restore faith in the
leadership took a harsh blow- September 8, 1974 Ford granted
Nixon a full pardon, said it was out of sympathy for Nixon, but
many felt he wanted to avoid the division that charges against
Nixon would create- Ford’s approval rating dropped from 71% to
50%
Ford Fights Inflation
-1975 American economy in the worst shape since the Great
Depression- unemployment at almost 9%- Ford rejected mandatory
wage and price controls to fight inflation, requested voluntary
controls- under a program called Whip Inflation Now (WIN), Ford
urged Americans to cut back on oil and gas consumption and use
other energy-conserving measures- plan failed- Ford turned to
cutting government spending and higher interest rates to halt
inflation, this failed- Ford tried to limit federal authority, balance
the budget, and keep taxes low- Ford vetoed over 50 bills the
Democratic controlled Congress sent him during his first two years
in office
Ford’s Foreign Policy
-continued Nixon’s general strategies- kept Kissinger as Sec. of
State- continued détente` with the Chinese and Soviets- August,
1975, with leaders of NATO and the Warsaw Pact signed the
Helsinki Accords, recognized the borders of Eastern Europe
established at the end of WWII, Soviets promised to uphold basic
human rights, including the right to move across national borders-
Soviets did not uphold basic rights, many Americans turned away
from détente`- May, 1975, Cambodia seized an American cargo
ship the Mayaguez, claimed it was on an intelligence gathering
mission- Ford called the seizure an act of piracy, sent the US
Marines to free the ship- Cambodia released the crew before the
Marines arrived
Election of 1976
-Americans pessimistic about the future- rising inflation and
unemployment, Americans experienced a change in lifestyle-
equally serious foreign policy problems- political problems in
developing nations were a threat to world stability- Soviets
engaged in aggressive foreign policy- Americans looked for a
president who could meet the challenges- Republicans nominated
Gerald Ford and Democrats nominated former Governor of
Georgia, James Earl Carter Jr.- Carter a political outsider, no
national political experience- Carter used the image of an outsider
as a promise to restore morality and honesty to the federal
government- promised new programs for energy development, tax
reform, welfare reform, and national medical care- Carter’s image
as a moral and upstanding individual brought him more support
than his campaign promises- Carter won with 50.1% of the popular
vote to Ford’s 47.9%- Carter 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240- to
show he was a man of the people Carter chose to walk from the
Capital to the White House for his inauguration
Carter Battles the Economic Crisis
-domestic agenda, fix the economy- end recession and reduce
unemployment- increase government spending and cut taxes-
inflation surged in 1978, Carter changed his mind, delayed tax cuts
and vetoed spending programs he had proposed to Congress- tried
to slow inflation by reducing the money supply and raising interest
rates- main focus- energy crisis- in the end all of his efforts failed
War Against Consumption
-Carter, nation’s most serious problem, dependence on foreign oil-
first national address, asked Americans to support a war against
rising energy consumption- proposed a national energy program to
conserve oil and promote the use of coal and renewable energy
sources like solar power- got Congress to create the Department of
Energy, to develop an energy policy and look for alternative
energy sources- asked Americans to sacrifice and reduce energy
consumption, much of the public complied as best they could,
many ignored the President’s suggestions- business leaders and
economist urged Carter and Congress to deregulate the oil
industry- Nixon’s price controls made it difficult for oil companies
to pass OPEC increases on to the consumer, hard to make a profit,
lacked capital to invest in new domestic oil wells- regulations and
OPEC price increases helped create the energy crisis of the 70s-
Carter agreed to support deregulation but wanted windfall profits
tax to stop oil companies from overcharging consumers- tax
conflicted with deregulation, which was to free up capital to use to
search for new sources of oil- Carter’s plan did not solve the
energy crisis- summer, 1979 problems in the Middle East led to a
second major fuel shortage and deepened the nation’s economic
problems- under pressure to act, Carter made several proposals in a
television address- he gave a bleak assessment of the national
condition, complained of a crisis of confidence that had struck at
the very soul of national will- speech became known as the
“malaise” speech, although Carter never used that word- many
interpreted the speech not as a timely warning but as Carter
blaming the people for his failures
Carter’s Leadership Problems
-Carter’s failure to solve economic problems were a result of his
inexperience and inability to work with Congress- Carter proud of
his outsider status, little effort to reach out to Congress, Congress
blocked many of his energy proposals- Carter was unable to
translate ideas into goals that inspired the nation- no unifying
theme for his administration- Carter followed a middle course that
left many people confused- 1979 polls showed Carter’s popularity
lower than Nixon’s during Watergate
Foreign Policy
-Carter was deeply religious, US must try to be right and honest
and truthful and decent in dealing with other nations- international
front gave Carter one of his greatest defeats
Morality in Foreign Policy
-committed to human rights- Powerful must not persecute the
weak, human dignity must be enhanced- named Andrew Young as
the first African American Ambassador to the United Nations-
Carter put his principle into action in Latin America- to remove the
symbol of US intervention in Latin America, Carter moved to give
Panama control of the Panama Canal- US built and had run the
Canal since 1903- 1978 got Senate ratification of two Panama
Canal Treaties, which ceded control of the Canal to Panama on
December 31, 1999- Carter singled out the Soviets as violators of
human rights- condemned the Soviets for imprisoning people who
protested against the government- relations between the
superpowers suffered more when the Soviets invade Afghanistan
in December, 1979- Carter placed an embargo on the sale of grain
to the Soviet Union and boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympic
Games in Moscow- under Carter détente` collapsed
Middle East
-1978, Carter helped broker the Camp David Accords, peace treaty
between Israel and Egypt- Menchem Begin, Prime Minister of
Israel and Anwar el-Sadat President of Egypt- treaty signed in
1979, most Arab nations opposed- this was the first step to bring
peace in the Middle East- months after the Camp David Accords,
Islamic clergy in Iran overthrew the Shah, who had been long
supported by the US- the Shah was an oppressive leader, but Iran
was a major oil supplier to the US and a buffer against Soviet
expansion into the Middle East- the Shah had introduced
Westernizing reforms in Iran, opposition increased and he was
forced to flee in Jan., 1979- Islamic Republic was declared, headed
by a religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini- distrust of the US-
grew because of American support for the Shah- November, 1979,
revolutionaries took control of the American Embassy in Tehran,
took 52 American hostages, militants threatened to kill the
hostages or try them as spies- Carter tried to negotiate their release,
April, 1980, under pressure Carter approved a military mission to
free the hostages- attempt failed, several helicopters malfunctioned
and one crashed in the desert- eight servicemen died- hostage crisis
continued into the fall of 1980, nightly news reminded viewers of
the number of days the hostages held- not able to free the hostages
cost Carter support in the 1980 Election- he negotiated with Iran
for the release right up till his last day in office- Jan. 20, 1981, the
day Carter left office the hostages were released
Sec. 4
The “Me” Decade
Search for Fulfillment
-some Americans in the 1970s looked for ways to deal with their
daily lives- sought escape, laughter, and fulfillment in a wide range
of fads, entertainment and spiritual movements- writer Thomas
Wolfe labeled the 1970s as the “me decade”- many Americans
were self-obsessed in the decade as they looked for individual
satisfaction- popular books of the decade: I’m Okay, You’re Okay,
How to be Your Own Best Friend, and Looking Out for Number
One- journalist Michael Levine: argued in the light of growing
feelings of despair and cynicism about American society, it was
little wonder that many people turned inward- in the quest for self-
improvement many Americans were willing to embrace new
movements
New Age Movement
-some young men and women turned away from the conventional
religions of their parents- turned to secular movements and
activities that made up the New Age Movement- New Age,
embraced the idea that people were responsible for and capable of
everything from self-healing to creating the world- spiritual
enlightenment could be found in common practices, not just church
going- activities like yoga, martial arts, chanting to gain spiritual
awareness- some claimed to find ZEN or enlightenment in running
and other physical activities- New Age took different paths to
transform individuals and society- power of crystals and gemstones
to improve life- astrology and Eastern belief in reincarnation
taught people they could be reborn many times until they reach
perfection- awareness of former lives would bring knowledge of
the true inner self
Transcendental Meditation
-unsatisfied with traditional religions many sought new religions-
many from Asia, centered on the teachings of a guru, mystical
leader- well known guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, native of India,
moved to the US in 1959, led spiritual movement known as
transcendental meditation- not well known until 1967, George
Harrison of the Beatles began to explore his teachings, brought it
to the other members of the band- the interest of the Beatles led to
a large American following for the Yogi- transcendental
meditation, daily meditation and silent repetition of spiritual
mantras to achieve peak intelligence, harmony, and health- if all
the people on earth practiced transcendental meditation, supporters
believed the world would enjoy peace
Changing Families
-search for fulfillment impacted the American family- women’s
movement changed how women viewed their roles as wives and
mothers- 1970, 60% of women 16-24 had joined the labor force-
1970-1980, women aged 25-34 had the largest annual percentage
growth in the workforce- women more active outside the home, led
to smaller families- birthrate fell to an all time low in 1976- parents
and children began to spend less time together- divorce rate
doubled form 2.5 divorces per thousand people in 1966 to 5 per
thousand in 1976
Cultural Trends
-popular culture reflected changes in society- TV began to portray
women as independent or took on formerly taboo topics like
racism, poverty, abortion- Americans listened to new forms of
music and looked for fun and escape in new fads
TV 1970s
-Mary Tyler Moore Show, unmarried woman with meaningful
career, left small town for big city job- All In The Family,
confronted social issues, central character, blue-collar worker
Archie Bunker, called his wife a ding-bat, liberal son-in-law
Meathead, mocked his feminist daughter, and almost all ethnic
groups- All in the Family did not preach but used humor to allow
viewers to examine their own feelings about issues such as racism-
the Jefferson’s, Bunker’s former neighbors, central character,
George Jefferson, African American, just as racist as Bunker, was
a financial success and respected- Maude, Edith Bunker’s feminist
cousin remarried after third divorce, Maude did not depend on her
husband, caused controversy when in 1972 Maude decided to have
an abortion- Maude’s African American maid Florida generated
another spin-off in 1974. Good Times, African American family
trying to raise three children in low income housing in Chicago
Music of the 70s
-music reflected the end of the rock era of the 60s youth and
protest movements- hard rock of the 60s evolved to softer sound in
the 70s- music more reflective and less political- mirrored the
desire to seek fulfillment from within- new meditative entertainers,
Barry Manilow, John Denver, ABBA, and the Eagles- disco music
of the late 70s began in African American and Latin American
nightclubs- disc jockeys played dance music with loud persistent
beat, fast pace and easy rhythm, attracted fans, disco music well
suited for the “me generation”- unlike rock, disco allowed dancers
to gain greater importance than the music- Disco Mania peaked
after the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever, middle class Italian
American teenager played by John Travolta transformed into a
white suited disco king every Saturday night- soundtrack to the
movie sold millions of copies and discos opened across the nation
and the world
Fads and Fashion
-t-shirts with personalized messages- teenagers on suburban streets
on skateboards- people obsessed with self-discovery turned to
mood rings- millions of drivers bought CB radios, drivers could
now talk to each other, truck drivers used CBs to warn each other
of police and speed traps, average drivers purchased them for
entertainment purposes, made up “handles” talked using code
words and CB jargon- fitness, big trend in the “me decade”-
exercise to improve the way they looked- popular exercise of the
70s, aerobics, physician Kenneth H. Cooper made the exercise
concept popular in his 1968 book Aerobics, achieve cardiovascular
fitness without isolation and boredom that accompanied physical
activity- people could stay fit by having fun and interacting with
others, this gained popularity- running gained a large following,
many Americans began to pound the pavement to stay fit and trim-
Jim Fixx wrote a bestseller, The Complete Book of Running in
1977, end of the 70s a number of the fads began to fade- end of the
70s ended the feeling that the nation was vulnerable and limited-
80s dawned, Americans looked forward to regaining confidence in
the nation and optimism in their own futures