Decades of Change: the 60’s and 70’s

President John F. Kennedy 1960-1963 (Democrat)

- Was the youngest and first Catholic president to hold office.

- Some of the events that took place during his presidency included

• Bay of Pigs Invasion

• Cuban Missile Crisis • Formation of the Berlin Wall

• Space Race • African American Civil Rights movement.

• Beginning of the Vietnam War. - Assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

• Lee Harvey Oswald was charged.

• Oswald was assassinated by Jack Ruby two days later, before a trial could take place. Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969 (Democrat)

-Took over office after Kennedy was assassinated, completed the term, and was elected president in his own right during the elections of 1964.

- Some of the events that took place during his presidency included

• Great Society, which included Medicare, Medicaid, aid to education, and the “war on poverty”

• Civil Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed most forms of racial segregation. • Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed millions of Blacks (especially in the south) to vote

for the first time. • Escalated the Vietnam war, from 16,000 men in 1963 to 500,000 combat troops in 1968

• The involvement in Vietnam led to a large anti war movement. Multiple riots broke out in most major cities from 1965-1968.

Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974 (Republican)

- Visited the People’s Republic of China in 1972, and opened Diplomatic relations between the two nations.

- Ended the conflict in Vietnam in 1973

- Initiated Détente

• The U. S. and the U.S.S.R. agreed to install a direct hotline between Washington DC and Moscow, which enabled them interact quickly in case of emergencies.

• Created reduction in arms by the Soviets and the Americans.

- Apollo 11. The first landing of humans on the moon took place during his presidency.

- Won the re-election in 1972

- Watergate Scandal

• The affair became public after five men were caught breaking into the Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972.

• Based on information provided by informant Mark Felt (also known as “Deep Throat”) associate director at the FBI, linked the 5 men to the Nixon administration.

• It became clear that Nixon aides had committed crimes in attempts to sabotage the Democrats.

• Nixon denied having any knowledge of the burglary and having a part in any wrongdoing. • In July 1973, it was discovered that Nixon had tape recordings of conversations in the White

house. Nixon refused to release them. • In 1974 Nixon released 1,200 pages of transcripts of White House Conversations between him

and his aides. • One of the tapes demonstrated that Nixon had been told of the White House connection to the

Watergate burglaries soon after they took place. • Senate was prepared to impeach Nixon, however he resigned in 1974.

Gerald Ford 1974-1977 (Republican)

- Became presidents after Nixon’s resignation

- Granted a presidential pardon to Richard Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

- Signed the Helsinki Accords, which marked a move towards détente.

- Faced the words economic downturn since the great depression, which led to a growth in inflation and recession. Unemployment reached 9% in 1975.

James Carter 1977-1981 (Democrat)

- Had great involvement in foreign affairs

• Camp David Accords, which brought together a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt

• Panama Canal Treaties, which would return control of the Canal to Panama.

• SALT II, resulted in an agreement to limit strategic launches. However the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty.

• The Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979, 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days during the Iranian revolution. They were released in 1980.

• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Led to the end of détente, and the boycott of the U.S. of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

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Social movements

1960’s - Known as the “cultural decade”

- Counterculture • Gained momentum during the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

• Led mostly by young people • Widespread use of drugs such as Marijuana, LSD, and other psychoactive drugs.

- Civil Rights Movement - Free speech Movement

1970’s

- Great advocacy for World Peace - End of the Vietnam War

- Economic Downturn • U.S. Manufacturing and industries declined.

• Last time the U.S. had trade surplus. - Faith in government was at an all-time low after the disaster of the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal. - Rise in ecological awareness after a series of oil crisis in 1973 and 1979.

- Space Exploration • U.S. landing on the moon.

- Feminist Movement