CONTEMPORARY AMERICA

1. CONTEMPORARY AMERICA 1963 - 2014

2. Vocabulary • Gradual – slow; not immediate • Resign – to leave your job (by choice) • Impeach – to find guilty of a crime while holding political office (government job) • Pardon – to legally forgive someone for a crime • Recession – slow period in economy; not as bad as a depression. • Fundamentalist – “old school” believe holy books are the word of god (bible, koran, etc.) • Deficit – Spending more than you make in a one-year period.

3. Recent Presidents • Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) D • Richard Nixon (1969-1974) R • Gerald Ford (1974-1977) R • Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) D • Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) R • George Bush (1989-1993) R • William (Bill) Clinton (1993-2001) D • George W. Bush (2001-2009) R • Barack Obama (2009-Present) D

4. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) • Became President When JFK was assassinated • Signed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law (ending legal discrimination against minority groups) • Fought against poverty through the “Great Society” A group of programs similar to the New Deal which tried to help the poor. • Economic opportunity Act (most programs geared towards poor youth) • Established Medicare and Medicaid – programs assisting the poor with the costs of medical bills.

5. Increased number of troops fighting in Vietnam through the Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Supported Immigration Act of 1965 - ended years of racial discrimination in America’s immigration laws

6. Richard Nixon (1969-1974) • Called for gradual end to Vietnam War and “Vietnamization” handing over the fighting in Vietnam to the Vietnamese • Vietnam War protests increased during his presidency as Americans became angry at the war. • Pentagon Papers – secret documents showing Johnson had lied to the American people about Vietnam (increased anti-war feelings) • Nixon responded to anti-war feelings: All US troops out of Vietnam by March 1973) • Nixon was able to increase cooperation with China and Soviet Union and decreased tension between the U.S. and both nations.

7. There was evidence that he knew about a Republican break-in to the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington DC. • The scandal was known as Watergate (the hotel where the break-in occurred) • Nixon probably would have been impeached, but instead chose to resign in 1974.

8. Gerald Ford (1974-1977) • Became President When Nixon resigned • Pardoned Nixon (this made him very unpopular) • Not a lot of accomplishments because congress was controlled by the other party (dem)

9. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) • Helped Israel and Egypt sign a peace treaty (The Camp David Accords) which helped reduce Middle East tension • Placed a tax on gas guzzling cars through the National Energy Act. • The nation suffered through an economic recession in 1979 • His insistence that the Soviet Union must honor civil rights (voting, free speech, etc) led to tension with USSR.

10. In 1979 there was an Iranian Revolution (fundamentalist Muslims took over Iran) • Iranian Hostage Crisis: New Iranian government took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

11. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) • Reformed entitlements (government programs to help the poor and elderly) by cutting many programs. • Promoted “trickle down” (supply side) economics through massive tax cuts • Trickle down: if a business or wealthy person has more money, they will grow their business and hire more workers, everyone wins (it doesn’t always work though)

12. Also boosted military spending through the Strategic Defense Initiative • Promoted deregulation of the economy (less rules for business and banks to follow) • Slow to deal with growing HIV/AIDS crisis.

13. George Bush (1989-1993) • First President to deal with a non-communist Russia after the end of the cold war. • Operation Desert Storm (helping kick Iraqi army out of Kuwait) 1991. • He campaigned not to raise taxes but broke this promise to pay for rising war costs and other government programs.

14. Bill Clinton (1993-2001) • Tried and failed to get all Americans health care coverage. • Reformed the welfare system to avoid corruption and abuse. • Successfully balanced the budget of the United States. • Supported free trade in North America (North American Free Trade Agreement) • led to increased trading with Canada and Mexico, but cost some U.S. jobs in the process.

15. Was impeached (found guilty of a crime) for lying under oath about an affair with white house intern Monica Lewinsky. • Was not removed from office for this offense.

16. George W. Bush (2001-2009) • Terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 • America was attacked by Al Qaeda (a fundamentalist Muslim group) based in Afghanistan. • War on Terror begins. • Afghanistan (2001-present) • Iraq (2003-2013) • Gave large tax cuts to all Americans – leads to budget deficit (Gov. was spending more than it made)

17. USA Patriot Act - Domestic war on terror included tapping of phones and emails sometimes without a warrant – controversial, continues into Obama Presidency. • Supported Comprehensive Immigration reform, but had no support from other Republicans – Bill never passed congress • Supported a law to help banks and auto industry after recession of 2009 (Called an economic Stimulus)

18. Barack Obama (2009-Present) • First African-American President • Continued domestic war on terrorism of Bush Presidency – phone/email taps. • Continued stimulus -assistance to banks, and auto industry began by Bush Presidency. • Supported raising taxes on millionaires to help balance budget. • Ended war in Iraq in 2013 (promises to end war in Afghanistan by end of 2014)

19. Signed a law hiring workers to build bridges and roads; one way out of the recession of 2009. • Signed Affordable Care Act into law. The law is designed to make sure all Americans have health insurance. • First President to support marriage equality – the right of any two consenting adults to marry.