The Conservative Tide

Chapter 25

I. Conservative Movement Emerges

A. The Movement Builds

• The New Right– Opposed abortion– Opposed ERA– Wanted School prayer

• Affirmative Action– reverse discrimination

• Conservative Coalition• Moral Majority

– wanted to restore traditional moral values

B. Conservatives take office

• Ronald Reagan– Elected 1980– George H.W. Bush V.P.

• Originally a Democrat – “The party had left him”

• “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his”

II. Conservative policies

A. Economic policies

• Reaganomics – budget cuts, tax cuts, increase defense spending

• Supply-side economics– Fewer taxes– People would save and invest more

• Strategic Defense Initiative • National Debt doubles

B. Courts shift right

• Sandra Day O’Connor– First female supreme

court justice

• William Rehnquist – becomes Chief

Justice

• Reagan and Bush end rule of liberal court

C. Deregulating the Economy

• Deregulation – the cutting back of

federal regulation in industry

– increased competition and lowered prices

• Cut the EPA budget

D. Victories

• 1984 Election– Reagan/Bush (Rep)– Mondale/Ferraro

(Dem)– Win by landslide

• 1988 Election– Bush Vs. Dukakis– “Read my lips no

new taxes”

III. Social Concerns in the 1980s

A. Health, Education & Cities• Acquired Immune

Deficiency Syndrome• Webster V.

Reproductive Health Care Services– States had right to

make laws on abortion

• War On Drugs– “Just say no!”

• A Nation At Risk– US students falling

behind• Urban Crisis

B. Equal Rights• Increase of Women

in House and Senate

• Reagan names two women to his cabinet – Elizabeth Dole– Margaret Heckler

• “Feminization of poverty”

• Pay Equity – pay rates reflected

job’s requirements

C. Fight for rights continues

• L. Douglas Wilder– First African

American governor

• Jesse Jackson – ran for democratic

presidential nomination

• Sheriffs, School board, legislators

D. Gains for Latinos

• Fastest growing minority

• Lauro Cavazos– Secretary of

Education

• Dr. Antonia Coello Novello– Surgeon General

• Bilingual Education

E. Native Americans

• Schools to teach about past

• Reagan cuts funding to Native Americans

• Supreme Court votes in favor of Casinos – Provides additional

funding

F. Other Minorities• Asian Americans

– 2nd fastest growing minority– low crime rates– low dropout rates– low divorce rates– high unemployment and poverty

• Gay rights– By 1993, 7 states & 110 communities

outlaw discrimination

IV. Foreign Policy after the Cold War

A. The beginning of the end

• Mikhail Gorbachev 1985– Glasnost- openness – Perestroika- restructuring

of Soviet society

• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)– Between U.S. and Soviets– Eliminated weapons &

allowed inspections

B. The Soviet Union Declines• Collapse of the Berlin Wall 1989

• Non-Communist parties organized in satellite nations– Nations gain independence

• Bush & Yeltsin formally end Cold War 1992

• STARII Pact– Cuts amount of nuclear weapons by 2/3

C. China…Still Commies

• 1980s China begins economic reforms– less government control

• Tiananmen Square (1989)– Demonstrations leads by

students– Military steps in kills

unarmed students

• “The government has won the battle here today. But they have lost the people’s hearts.”

D. Central America & The Caribbean• Nicaragua

– Contras vs. Sandinistas

• Grenada– Reagan sends

troops – Overthrow pro-

Cuban gov.

• Panama– Bush sends 20,000

soldiers– Overthrow & Arrest

Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega

E. Middle East troubles

• Iran-Contra Scandal– Terrorist groups capture Americans in

Lebanon– “America will never make concessions to

terrorists”– Weapons in exchange for prisoners– profits then went towards the Contras in

Nicaragua

F. The Persian Gulf War

• Iraq led by Saddam Hussein– Invaded Kuwait

(1990)

• Operation Desert Storm (1991)– Air assault on Iraq– Troops attacked from

Saudi Arabia – Cease Fire Feb.

1991