Ford Carter Reagan Gerald Ford 1913 2006 38

Ford, Carter, Reagan

Gerald Ford • 1913 – 2006 • 38 th President (1974 – 77) • Former Univ. of Michigan football player, WWII veteran, and 25 year Congressman • Self-deprecatingly once described his abilities as president with, “I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln” • Only president to never be elected to the office of president or vice-president, since he was appointed Nixon’s vice-president after Spiro Agnew resigned due to scandal

The Ford Administration Problems Policies Faced by Ford Ending • Pardoned Nixon; wanted the country to heal Watergate • Highly controversial because but many suspected that Nixon had scandal negotiated the pardon out of Ford in return for making Ford president with his resignation; ; lost a good deal of public support

Economic Downturn • Ford inherited an economy that was quickly failing, due to too much deficit spending on the Vietnam War and Great Society programs under Johnson and Nixon • Inflation was on the rise • Overdependence on oil imports left the US economy vulnerable to fluctuations in oil prices

Oil Embargo • In anger over US support for Israel, most Arab states began to seek ways to punish America, and the most effective way was to damage the US economy by restricting oil production • The predominantly Arab oil cartel OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) cut back production and raised prices, leading to a gas shortage in the US • Oil that was $3/barrel in 1973 climbed to $30/barrel by 1980 • Increased fuel costs meant less money to spend on other things, which led to a recession

Stagflation • Economic stagnation + inflation = stagflation • Economists had not believed that it was possible to have both a recession and inflation at the same time, believing that prices should only rise if demand increased, but it turned out they were wrong!

The Ford Administration Problems Policies Faced by Ford Troubled • Promoted “Whip Inflation Now” program (WIN); Plan put forth by Ford economy which asked Americans to voluntarily reduce energy and fuel consumption When that failed, he tried cutting government spending and raising interests rates, but that didn’t work either

The Ford Administration Problems Policies Faced by Ford Hostile • Democratic majorities in both House and Senate; unhappy with Nixon Congress pardon and economic policies • Ford vetoed over 50 bills in 2 years

The Ford Administration Problems Policies Faced by Ford Cold War • Signed the Helsinki Accords- 1975 meeting of NATO and Warsaw Pact tensions leaders. Soviets promised to uphold basic human rights, but when they did not keep that promise, American enthusiasm for détente began to fade and the Cold War began to deepen once again

The Ford Administration Problems Policies Faced by Ford Southeast • Urged Congress to send money to South Vietnam to prop up their fight Asia against North Vietnam; Congress refused; South Vietnam surrendered in 1975 • Responded with massive military force to Cambodia’s attack on a U. S. ship

Mayaguez Incident • May 1975 • Cambodia seized an American cargo ship off its shore that they claimed was spying • Ford ordered the ship retaken by the Marines, but the rescue attempt (which proved unnecessary since the ship’s crew had already been released) proved costly, with 41 Marines killed • Still, rescue attempt was seen as a success and helped Ford’s reputation both at home and abroad

The Election of 1976

Jimmy Carter • 1924 – Present • 39 th President (1977 -81) • Graduate of the US Naval Academy, but took over his family’s peanut farm after the sudden death of his father • Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his lifelong commitment to human rights

The Carter Administration Problems Faced by Carter Distrust of politicians Policies • Promised never to lie to the American people (used “fireside chats”; refused to play by “insider” rules) • Washington outsider (appealing to the voters); Washington outsider (no friends in D. C. = little accomplished) The President’s Gatekeeper: The Outsider

Problems Faced by Carter Discrimination Human rights issues Amnesty Policies • Appointed more African Americans and women to his administration than any previous president • Criticized for not doing enough because of focus on energy/economic crisis • Affirmative action- Policy which requires any companies or institutions to actively recruit minorities and often sets required quotas • Univ. of Regent vs. Bakke- Supreme Court handed down a complex ruling regarding affirmative action, stating that racial quotas are not permissible, but that considering race when accepting students for admission is OK if the college is attempting to achieve racial diversity • Made human rights concerns the foundation of his foreign policy; established Bureau of Human Rights in the State Department • Criticized for U. S. government propping up dictators in countries like South Korea issued a blanket amnesty for anyone who had fled the US to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War This cost him the support of the hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans who had done their duty as American citizens

Problems Faced by Carter Energy crisis The Carter Administration Policies (Tried to fix the faltering economy by increasing government spending and cutting taxes – it didn’t work) • Advocated voluntary energy conservation (wore a sweater in the White House during winter instead of raising heat) • Created Dept. of Energy- Called on Americans to conserve oil and to develop new forms of renewable energy like solar, geothermal, & nuclear power. Continued instability in the Middle East led to another oil shortage in 1979 • Fought for passage of the National Energy Act- Placed higher taxes on cars that weren’t fuel efficient. Gave tax credits to homeowners who improved insulation or used solar energy and Provided funding for research into alternative energy sources

Three-Mile Island • March 28, 1979 • One of the nuclear reactors at the Three-Mile Island power plant in Pennsylvania suffered a core meltdown, releasing radioactive gas into the surrounding environment • Although there were no deaths directly contributed to the accident, cancer and infant mortality rates in the areas downwind showed marked increases in the years immediately following • Since the accident, use of nuclear power has declined in the US

Deregulation • Carter approved removing government regulations on several industries: • Oil industry – to encourage increased domestic production • Airlines – to open up free market competition and reduce prices for consumers

The Carter Administration Problems Faced by Carter Panama Canal Policies • Carter convinced the Senate to agree to a treaty which would transfer control of the Panama Canal to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999 • Intended to help repair US image in Latin America

The Carter Administration Problems Faced by Carter Cold War tensions Policies • Eventually signed the SALT II agreement treaty; did not reduce nuclear arms but placed limits; when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Carter allowed the treaty to die. • Soviets entered Afghanistan to help the communist government put down a rebellion. US responded to this “invasion” with a grain embargo against the Soviet Union, by boycotting the 1980 Olympic Games which were being held in Moscow, and by refusing to ratify the recently agreed to SALT II treaty

The Carter Administration Problems Policies Faced by Carter Middle East Carter brokered a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, creating hope for a stabilized Middle East– Camp David Accords. tensions Iran Hostage Crisis (Iran’s pro-US Shah (king) was forced to flee due to civil unrest, leaving Iran in the control of Muslim fundamentalists under the Ayatollah Khomeini; When the US allowed the fugitive Shah to receive cancer treatments in the US, tensions boiled over) • Angry college students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and seized 66 members of the embassy staff as hostages. Ultimately, 52 hostages were held for 444 days, released only once Ronald Reagan became president The President’s Gatekeeper: Tehran Hostage Crisis

Failed Rescue Attempt • Operation Eagle Claw • April 1980 • Daring plan was to rescue the hostages using helicopters, but one of the helicopters crashed en route and the mission was aborted • The failure of the mission, and of Carter’s diplomatic attempts to gain the hostages’ release, badly damaged his already shaky reputation

Carter Document Activity

Monday May 22, 2017 Objective- Explain the political, economic, and social event of Ford & Carter administration and determine their handling as a success or failure Do Now: Turn and talk: 1. How were the actions of Ford and Carter similar? Differ? 2. Do you agree with President Carter human rights steer of US foreign policy? Why or why not. Agenda: 1) Ford & Carter Review Activity, 2) Video w/ Guide Homework: Ford- Clinton - Quiz May 31, 2017

A Conservative Movement Emerges • • • Individuals Barry Goldwater (1964 pres. Candidate) Ronald Reagan (Governor of California) William F. Buckley (conservative author) Jerry Falwell (Christian minister) Pat Robertson (TV Christian minister) George H. W. Bush (Director of CIA) • • • Groups and Institutions The Republican Party The New Right The conservative coalition Business leaders Struggling middle-class voters Disaffected Democrats Fundamentalist Christians The Heritage Foundation The Moral Majority

A Conservative Movement Emerges Issues and Interests • The Reagan Revolution: • Devolution: Continuing New Federalism to give federal power to states (limit the size of the federal government) • Deregulation: Removing federal regulations to empower economic growth • Unfunded Mandates: Requiring states to perform certain tasks without federal money • Social Issues: Opposition of abortion, homosexuality, evolution in schools, feminism, gun control; Support for individual responsibility, traditional values, strong national defense

A Conservative Movement Emerges Four Factors that contributed to Ronald Reagan’s victory. • Reagan ran on issues that appealed to • The Iranian hostage crisis and weak conservatives economy under Carter (Regan was committed to a stronger U. S. military and stronger economy) • Reagan’s personality and effective • Reagan’s skill at presenting issues clearly campaign style/Carter’s weak campaign and simply (nickname “The Great style (didn’t campaign during Iran crisis) Communicator”)

The Election of 1980

Ronald Reagan 1911 – 2004 40 th President (1981 – 89) Former actor Former Gov. of California Reagan promised to rebuild the US’ military strength and to fix the economy, all while creating a balanced budget and cutting taxes • "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his. " • • •

Terms to Know Entitlement program a government program— such as Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid—that guarantees and provides benefits to a specific group Reverse discrimination an unfair treatment of members of a majority group—for example, white men—resulting from efforts to correct discrimination against members of other groups