The Modern Era

							The Modern Era

  1969 - Present
           Space Race Concludes

   July 20, 1969 – Apollo 11 landed on the
    moon
       Neil Armstrong – 1st man on the moon
“One small step for
man, one giant leap
for man kind”
               Easing the Cold War
   Nixon wanted a more stable world
       Détente – easing international tensions
            Balance of power
   Nixon wanted to visit China
       US ping-pong team invited to China (1971)
       1972 Nixon goes to China – trade/diplomacy
   Nixon takes trip to Soviet Union
       Begins trade, Strategic Arms Limitations
        Treaty (Salt 1)
                    Activity

   In the world today what activity, like Ping-
    Pong, could we use to better our
    relationship with other countries?
                Election of 1972

   Nixon wins a landslide victory over George
    McGovern
       Nixon received over 90% of electoral votes
                    Watergate
   June 17, 1972 a security guard discovered
    burglars @ the Watergate office complex
       “Plumbers” connected to Nixon campaign
       Democratic Party had offices in the building
   Burglars convicted, controversy continues
       Tapes of secret conversations with Nixon
        linked him to robbery
   Nixon was going after Democratic
    campaign plans
          Impact of Watergate

   Watergate Scandal much bigger than
    originally thought to be
   Nixon resigns before he can be kicked out
    of office
   Americans lose even more trust in gov’t
   Freedom of Information Act – citizens get
    more access to gov’t documents
                  Activity

   As an American, should we have full
    knowledge of what our government is
    doing? Explain.
            Ford Takes Office

   After Nixon resigns, V.P. Gerald Ford takes
    office
   Gives Nixon a full pardon – freedom from
    criminal charges
               Failing Economy

   Inflation a problem since the beginning of
    Vietnam
   Underemployment – people working
    jobs they are overqualified for
   High oil prices
   Ford’s plan – WIN (Whip Inflation Now)
       American’s need to save money
Inflation Table: Take a Guess!!!
         1930   1950   1970    Now
Income                        46,000
 Car                          28,400
House                         246,000
Bread                          2.49
 Gas                           3.79
 Milk                          2.29
        Problems from the get-go
   Jimmy Carter elected in 1976
       Carter cut taxes and raised gov’t spending
            Cut unemployment but inflation soared
   Energy crisis
       High oil prices causing inflation
            Exploring alternative fuels
       Concerns about nuclear power (3 Mile Island)
                Foreign Affairs

   Carter based his policy on human rights
       How people are treated by the gov’t
       Carter withdrew support from many countries
        in Africa and South America
   More problems with Soviet Union
       1980 Olympics, Sov. Un. Invades Afghanistan
             Iran Hostage Crisis
   Iran was major US ally
   New leader – Ayatollah Khomeini
       Islamic fundamentalist – strict obedience to
        religious laws
   EXTREMISM
   Nov. 1979 – a group of fundamentalist-
    extremists take 52 Americans hostage
   US attempts to free hostages fail
                    A New Era
   Reagan wins election of 1980
   Hostages in Iran released 20 minutes after
    Reagan takes office - ?????
   Gov’t turns conservative
       Traditional American Values!!!
   Deregulation – reduced gov’t rules of
    businesses
                  Economy
   Reaganomics – cut taxes, cut gov’t spending
   Federal Debt – money owed by the US
    gov’t
   Recession, then recovery
   Voters respond
                  Disasters

   Mount St Helens erupts in 1980
   Challenger blows up with civilians on
    board in 1986
   Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in 1986
   Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989
                   Foreign Affairs
   Fight communism – build up military
   Star Wars
   Iran Contra Scandal
       Reagan advisors trade weapons to Iran for hostages in
        return
   New leader in Soviet Union – Mikhail Gorbachev
       open to new ideas
            The Soviet Union
   Gorbachev – “people want independence,
    democracy, and social justice”
   $ needed for people not military
   Protests in many communist countries
               Election of 1988

   George H. W. Bush Wins
       Reagan’s VP
          Cold War Conclusion
   Berlin wall comes down
   A failed coup in the Soviet Union sets the
    stage for democracy
   Gorbachev announces the break up of the
    Sov. Un.
   UN pledges to assist newly formed countries
       Reaction to the Cold War

   What was the Cold War?
   Why was it fought?
   Describe 3 major events of the Cold War.
   How and why did it end?
   Did the Cold War accomplish anything?
    (your opinion)
             The Persian Gulf War
   Dictator of Iraq Saddam Hussein invades
    Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
       rich in oil
   US and other nations come to help Kuwait
       Led by Norman Schwarzkopf
       “get out or else”
   Operation Desert Storm
       Laser guided missiles – “Live on CNN”
   Kuwait liberated
                 Election of 1992
   Bill Clinton wins election
       Al Gore – Vice President
                 1993 Bombing

   Truck bomb placed in the parking garage
    under the twin towers in NY
       Ramzi Yousef
       Killed six, injured 1,043
       Failed to bring down the towers
                 More Violence

   Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995
   Rise in school shootings
       Columbine in 1999, worst shooting in US
        history
                 Economic Boom
   Major economic growth for 6 straight years
       Raising the Gross Domestic Product – value of
        all goods and services in a country
   Balanced the budget – 1st time in 24 years no
    money added to debt
               Clinton’s Secrets
   Investigated for illegal real estate deals and
    sexual harassment
   Uncovered “personal relationship” with
    Monica Lewinsky
       Clinton denied it under oath – PERJURY!!!
   Impeached – formally accused of the crime
       NOT removed from office
              Election of 2000
   George W. Bush vs. Al Gore
   Closest race in history
   Ballots recounted
   Court battles
   Bush wins
   Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster
       2003-destroyed upon reentry
   Great Recession
       Housing Market bubble popped
   BP Oil Spill
       Gulf Coast flooded with crude oil
       Government slow to respond
   Hurricane Katrina
       New Orleans struggles/no govt response
   Wikileaks
       Release of secret government documents
              September 11, 2001
   Terrorism – the use of violence or threats for
    political purposes
   19 terrorists hijacked 4 commercial jets
       2 hit the twin towers in NY
       1 hit the pentagon in DC
       1 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania
   Led by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda
   2,998 people killed
   1st major attack on US soil
                  Post 9/11 Era
   Nation/World-wide fear of terrorism
       Airport security
       Prejudice of Muslims
   Wave of terror all around the world
   G.W. Bush – “War on Terror”
   Patriotism!!!
               War in Afghanistan
   Began Oct. 7, 2001 – US/NATO forces invade
       Response to 9/11
       Remove terrorist gov’t,
       find bin Laden (killed) May 2, 2011
   US/NATO forces removed gov’t but Taliban/Al-
    Qaeda are still a big threat
                   War in Iraq
   March 20, 2003 – US/Great Britain invade
       Saddam violates UN resolutions
       Overthrow dictator – Saddam Hussein (Executed)
       Weapons of Mass Destruction - never found
   US is trying to set up a democracy – stabilize
   As of Dec 18, 2011 troops withdrawn
                      Financial Crisis
   Mortgage Crisis – people taking out loans they
    cannot afford to pay
       Banks Fail
   Mortgage foreclosures, High Gas Prices,
    Unemployment
   Inflation
   Stimulus Package – the government giving out
    money to help get the economy moving
      American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
            $790 Billion
             Election of 2008

   Barack Obama vs. John McCain
   1st African American President
   “Change” and “Hope”
        Today and Tomorrow…

Remember history is being made right now

   Question: What events that have
    happened this school year, do you think
    will “make history?”
Election of 2012?