A. Analyze the international policies & actions taken as a response to

the Cold War including the opening of & establishment of diplomatic

relations with China, the end of US involvement in Vietnam, the

War Powers Act, the Camp David Accords, & Carter’s response to the

1979 Iranian Revolution & hostage crisis.

B. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the

creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the emergence of

the National Organization for Women, Nixon’s resignation due to

the Watergate scandal, and his pardon by Ford.

SSUSH22

Nixon, Ford, and Carter

administrations

Presidency of Richard Nixon• Détente: used diplomacy rather than intimidation to ease tensions

between U.S. and communist nations (China and U.S.S.R. First president to visit communist China. War Powers Act was passed to limitpresident’s power to send troops into conflicts without congressional approval, overturning the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

• S.A.L.T. I: Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty between U.S. and U.S.S.R that limited the development of certain nuclear weapons and a diplomatic victory for Nixon.

• The U.S. backed Israel during their war with Egypt and Syria. As a result, OPEC (Arab nations that make up the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) placed an oil embargo on the U.S. This caused long lines and high prices for gas since OPEC refused to sell oil to the U.S.

• Cut government programs (overturned Johnson’s Great Society) and advocated against civil rights legislation.

• Watergate Scandal exposed Nixon’s involvement in the coverup of the break-in of the Democratic Headquarters. As a result, Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment.

National Organization for Women:• The National Organization of Women (NOW)

was founded in 1966 to promote equal rights and opportunities for American women.

• NOW had its origins in the Civil Rights & anti war Movements of the early 1960s.

• NOW’s goals included equality in employment, political and social equality, and the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Environmental Protection Agency:

• Silent Spring, a 1962 book about pesticides by Rachel Carson, exposed dangers to the environment.

• This book led to the Water Quality Act of 1965• The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, this

raised awareness of environmental issues.• 1970, Pres. Nixon created the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) to set limits on pollution

Opening of China:

• China became a communist country in 1949, the US did not recognize it

• President Nixon, wanting to create better relations with China (because it would benefit the US) travelled to China in 1972, becoming the first President to travel to the communist country

• Hoped by creating better trade relations with China, he could encourage better relations with the Soviet Union

End of US involvement in Vietnam:

• Oct. 1972: US & North Vietnam tried came to terms with a peace settlement

• Nixon reelected in 1972, North Vietnam refused to sign peace treaty

• Americans pull out, war still continues in Vietnam

• The war was very expensive & caused huge loss of American lives

War Powers Act:

• Americans lost trust in their leaders

• Passed in 1973

• Restricted the President’s war-making powers by requiring him to consult with Congress within 48 hours of committing American forces to a foreign conflict

• Congressional attempt to stop the growth of the President’s power

Watergate:

• In 1972 President Nixon

began his reelection

campaign

• Fearing that various

political issues might cause

him to lose, some of Nixon’s campaign staff

began spying on his

opponent

• In June 1972, five men linked to Nixon’s campaign,

were arrested breaking into the Democratic Party’s

headquarters in the

Watergate Hotel

Watergate:

• The men were attempting to steal campaign

information and tap the phones

• Nixon began to cover up any connection between

his staff and the break in, ordering the CIA to stop the FBI’s investigation

• The President denied any wrong doing and

eventually won reelection

• By June of 1973 it was revealed that Nixon had

installed a taping system in the Oval Office to

record conversations that he had hoped to use to

write a book after he left office

Watergate:• Nixon refused to turn the tapes over to prosecutors investigating

the break-in but was eventually ordered to turn them over by the

Supreme Court in 1974

• With clear evidence of a Presidential cover-up on the tapes, the

House began discussions to impeach Nixon

• In August of 1974, Nixon resigned from the Presidency leaving

Gerald Ford, his Vice-President in command

GERALD FORDGerald Ford replaced Nixon as President of the U.S. Ford lost support when he used his executive power to grant a pardon to Nixon.

JIMMY CARTERContinued détente and signed S.A.L.T. II: Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty between U.S. and U.S.S.R that further limited the development of certain nuclear weapons.Brokered the Camp David Accords, a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt who had been bitter rivals for years. After the U.S. allowed the Iranian Shah to exile in the U.S., an enraged Iranian mob stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iran and took hostage all those inside. This Iranian Hostage Crisis lasted the entire time Carter was in office and led to his failure to be re-elected as President.

Presidencies of

Gerald Ford & Jimmy Carter

Camp David Accords:

• In 1978 President Carter helped to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, two Middle Eastern countries which had been bitter enemies.

• Israel is a Jewish country, Egypt is an Arab nation

• The peace treaty was known as the Camp David Accords

The Carter Administration and the crisis

in Iran:• Iran, had long been

supported by the U.S. due to it being a major oil supplier and because it was a buffer against Russian expansion

• Iran was headed by the Shah, who was becoming unpopular due to the westernization of Iran

Iran

• In 1979, Islamic extremist, headed by the Ayatollah

Khomeini, forced the Shah to flee the country and took

control, the Shah, who was ill, was allowed to receive

medical treatment in the U.S.

• In response, revolutionaries, stormed the U.S.

embassy and took 52 Americans hostage

Iran:

• Unable to negotiate their release, Carter ordered a secret rescue attempt.

• The rescue attempt went terribly wrong when a U.S. helicopter and plane collided killing 8 soldiers during a dust storm

• The failed attempt made Carter look bad and would eventually lead to him losing the 1980 election

• The hostages were finally released on Carter’s last day in office after being held for 444 days

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

• Roe v. Wade, 1973: “states could not place restrictions on abortions in the first three months of pregnancy”

• United States v. Nixon, 1974: “Neither separation of powers, nor the need for confidentiality can sustain unqualified Presidential immunity from the judicial process.”

• Regents of U.C. vs. Bakke, 1978: “any racial quota for the purpose of admissions supported by a government entity violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”