Unit 24: 1970s - 2020s

• Domestic and Foreign Policies and Events

  • The Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden Administrations
• Election of 1992
• Agenda


  • Balancing federal budget
  • Reforming welfare
  • Reducing crime
  • Promoting economic growth
  • Ensuring a strong national defense
  • Reducing the size of the federal government
  • Promoting free markets worldwide
• Clinton unsuccessfully promoted a plan for national health insurance
• The Election of 1980


  Democrats endorsed Carter, Republicans nominated Ronald Reagan, who asked voters, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"
• Republican control of the House and Senate after the 1994 elections
• Led by Newt Gingrich, a new breed of younger conservative Republicans swept the Congressional elections of 1994
• Republicans promoted a "Contract with America" to cut welfare and eliminate affirmative action
• America in 1980


  • Low spirits, people lacked confidence in government, turbulent 1960s, Watergate, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian hostage crisis, and long gasoline lines put Americans in an uneasy mood
  • Critics said Carter blamed Americans for the crisis in confidence instead of fixing the problems
  • A conservative movement that opposed liberal social and racial policies was growing
• Reagan's promise in 1980

  To return the country to a simpler time of low taxes, smaller government, a strong military, and conservative moral values
• Clinton undercut Republicans by adopting many of their positions to his own
• Reagan and his running mate, George H.W. Bush, won the 1980 election in a landslide; Republicans also gained control of the Senate
• Legislation to "end welfare as we know it" showed Clinton's skill in repositioning himself
• In 1996, Clinton won reelection over Bob Dole but Republicans continued to hold Congress
• By 2000, the number of foreign born residents and their children—56 million according to the U.S. Census Bureau—had reached the highest level in U.S. history
• Reagan's Background


  • Hollywood actor; made 53 films
  • Although Reagan began his political life as a Democrat, by 1962 he switched to the Republican Party
  • In 1966 he became the governor of California, cutting state social spending and resisting student and civil rights activism
  • After two terms as governor, he wanted to run for the presidency
  • Reagan was the hero of a growing movement called the New Right
  • His powerful personality, optimism, and acting skills drew many Americans—even Democrats—to his side
  • Reagan's wife, Nancy Reagan, was one of his greatest allies
• Reagan's Presidential Agenda


  • Reduce the federal bureaucracy
  • Deregulate certain industries
  • Cut taxes
  • Increase the defense budget
  • Take a hard line with the Soviets
  • Appoint conservative judges
• Prosperity of the 1990s did little to alleviate economic inequality, which increased during the decade
• In his first few months as president, Reagan got much of what he wanted
• Reagan's image grew stronger as he survived an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981 by John Hinckley Jr.
• Reaganomics


  Reagan's plan for tax and spending cuts, with two goals: reduce taxes to stimulate economic growth and cut the federal budget
• Supply-side economics


  A theory that says breaks for businesses will increase supply of goods and services, aiding the economy
• African Americans, Latinos, and women all lagged behind in pay and opportunities
• The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 was the largest tax cut in the nation's history, benefiting the rich and corporations
• The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981 made deep cuts in social and cultural programs
• Riots in South Central Los Angeles after the Rodney King incident highlighted racial and economic tensions
• Reagan increased the defense budget, leading to massive deficits of $2.7 trillion
• End of busing led to growing re-segregation of schools as distinct racial and ethnic communities grew in many cities
• Effects of Reaganomics


  • 1981 & 1982 = Nation suffered the worst recession since the Great Depression, with unemployment rising and government revenues falling
  • 1983 = Economic upturn sends consumers on spending spree, with stock market surging and GDP going up 10%
• While the 1980s celebrated wealth and moneymaking, the gap between rich and poor widened
• While crime dropped, prison populations disproportionate share of Blacks and Hispanics
• During the 1980s, the average weekly earnings declined substantially, and half the new jobs did not pay enough to keep a family out of poverty
• Pat Buchanan and other conservatives increasingly warned that traditional American values were eroding
• Race sharply defined the gap between rich and poor, with Supreme Court rulings limiting affirmative action and busing to integrate schools, limiting minority opportunities but appealing to conservatives
• Women experienced declining earning power during this period, with divorce and teenage pregnancy contributing to female poverty
• The Presidencies of Ford (1974-1977) and Carter (1977-1981)
• Controversies over gay marriage led to a 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act
• Gerald Ford (R)


  Domestic Policy
• Sunbelt vs Rustbelt


  • The Sunbelt from Florida to California continued to benefit from defense industries and retirees' Social Security payments, while Northeastern and Midwestern cities stagnated or shrank
  • Sunbelt states invested on police, roads and suburban services, while Rustbelt states lost manufacturing jobs and family farms
• California: battle in the courts focused on the constitutionality of allowing or banning gay marriage