unit 6 lesson 7 ford and carter - mr.nick...
TRANSCRIPT
WARM UP
I. Complete the Nixon Presidency reading worksheet to review from yesterday
II. Pages 1-4
III. You may work together in pairs
AFTER NIXON & WATERGATE
I. After Richard Nixon resigned as POTUS in 1974 his VP Gerald Ford became acting president
II. The American people now greatly distrust the president and the US government
THE FORD ADMINISTRATION
I. Ford’s major concern as president was the U.S. economy
II. The US faced: A. High inflation, high unemployment &
energy concerns (oil)
III. Ford upset many Americans when he pardoned Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal
A. Ford officially forgave Nixon & gave him no jail time
B. The people are angry that Nixon did no jail time for his crime
THE FORD ADMINISTRATION
I. Gerald Ford failed to gain back public confidence after Watergate
II. Ford’s only successes were in foreign policy:
A. Negotiated détente (nuclear disarmament) with China and Soviet Union
B. He revealed past CIA assassination attempts & appointed George Bush to reorganize the CIA
C. Signed the Helsinki Accords: 35 nations agreed to regulate nuclear weapons
III. However South Vietnam fell to communism in 1975 and it seemed many Americans died for nothing
THE 1976 CAMPAIGN I. In 1976 Jimmy Carter (Democrat) campaigned
as an outside, honest man who promised not to tell a lie to the American people
II. Carter ran against Gerald Ford (Republican) who many believed was a crooked politician
III. Carter won a very narrow victory in 1976 becoming the 39th POTUS
A. Carter’s victory was mainly won on racial and social divides
B. Affluent, educated people voted for Ford C. Poor, uneducated minorities voted for Carter
THE CARTER YEARS
I. Jimmy Carter’s biggest problem was that he lacked meaningful political experience (only governor of Georgia for one term)
II. Carter’s presidency began with an energy crisis in the USA
A. The USA relied very heavily on foreign oil purchased from the Middle East
B. Violence in the Middle East led to a drop in oil production C. The US experienced the worst oil/gas crisis in American
history D. Prices skyrocketed, demand soared and the American
people struggled to purchase fuel
CARTER’S PRESIDENCY
I. Jimmy Carter faced serious economic problems during his one term as president
II. The US lost millions of manufacturing jobs to foreign nations
A. Unemployment rose and many blamed Carter for the poor economic climate
III. The US standard of living dropped from 1st to 5th and Americans grew unhappy
THE SUCCESSES OF THE CARTER YEARS
I. 1977 – US & Panama Treaty: gave Panama the Panama Canal
A. Greatly improved US and Latin American relationships
II. Carter worked for global human rights and protested the unfair treatment of humans worldwide
III. Carter signed the SALT II agreement limiting nuclear arms
IV. The Camp David Accords: a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt ending war in the Middle East
THE FAILURES OF THE CARTER YEARS
I. The energy crisis in the 1970’s and the economic recession were Carter’s biggest failures as president
II. The Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979 also shed a negative light on Carter
A. Jan of 1979 Iran experience a revolution B. Iran replaced their US backed government led by Shah
with an Islamic government C. Iranians grew upset when the Shah was allowed into the
USA and took 52 Americans working in the US embassy in Tehran hostage for 444 days
THE FORD & CARTER YEARS
I. Ford and Carter both faced serious economic issues while president
A. US economy was in a recession, unemployment was high B. Oil shortages led to high gas prices and little supply C. Foreign policy issues like the Cold War and Iranian
Hostage crisis led to negative opinions of Ford & Carter nationwide
D. The American people blamed Ford and Carter for the political, social and economic problems
II. The problems faced by the US during the late 1970s led to a growth of conservative ideology and the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980