Outline of the Modern Era

1968-2008

Vietnam Under Nixon

• Pledged to end war through “Vietnamization”– Give war back to South

Vietnamese

• Began bombing Ho Chi Minh Trail– Supply route from North

to South– Not only in Vietnam!

Vietnam’s Impact on America• My Lai Massacre– US Troops kill a village of 579

people

• Pentagon Papers– Secret gov’t documents stating

that the gov’t had been misleading the American people

• Unpopularity of the draft– “A poor man’s war”

• Kent State Massacre– 4 students killed 9 injured

Nixon FoPo• Triangular Diplomacy– Peaceful visits to China and

USSR– Focused on economy, nuclear

weapons, and ending war in Vietnam

– Turn China against USSR

• SALT Treaty– Strategic Arms Limitation

Treaty– Reduced number of nukes– Opened economic trade

Nixon Domestic Policies• OPEC Oil Embargo– Arab oil producers

stop selling oil to US to protest Americans helping Israel in Yom Kippur War.

– National speed limit set at 55 mph

• EPA– Created to enforce

environmental laws

Watergate• Nixon pays “plumbers” to

break into democratic national HQ to get info on election of 1972.– Plumbers caught and tied

to Nixon

• Nixon charged facing impeachment– Resigns– Ford takes office, pardons

Nixon

Nixon Review1. Why did the US face an oil crisis during the Nixon

years?

2. How did Nixon end the Vietnam war?

3. Who was involved with triangle diplomacy? What was the goal?

4. What was the purpose of the SALT treaty?

5. What events led to Nixon’s resignation?

Gerald Ford • “He’s a nice fellow, but he’s played too much

football without a helmet.” - LBJ

• Unemployment and inflation high– Cut taxes but didn’t work

Ford FoPo Saigon falls to N. Vietnam Vietnam war finally over

Carter Domestic• Dept. of Energy– Created to conserve energy– 50% of US oil imported– Focus on nuclear power

• US facing fuel crisis– Why?– Arab-Israeli conflict

Carter FoPo• China becomes largest trade partner

• Camp David Accords– Carter negotiates peace

between Egypt and Israel

• Soviets invade Afghanistan– US gives aid to Bin Laden

and Taliban

Quick Review

1. Under which President did the Vietnam War formally end?

2. Who was America’s largest trade partner after the Carter administration?

3. Who did the US arm to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan?

Reagan FoPo Iran Hostage Crisis

52 hostages taken during Carter years

Hostages released during Reagan inauguration

Continued arms race Star Wars

Soviet Union fallsArms race spending

Reagan Domestic1. Trickle Down Economics– Tax cuts for businesses will

pass savings on those at the bottom.

2. Doubled National Debt– Who gets the bill?

3. Gap between rich and poor grew– What’s the impact on the

economy?