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?