Anti-War Protests

During the Vietnam War, thousands in America protested

Americas involvement
Hawks-people who favored the war, doves- people who
opposed the war
In fact, a protest at Kent State University in 1970 resulted in the
National Guard firing into a group of demonstrators, killing four
Many of the protestors in America were youths who started the
counterculture movement
counterculture-white middle-class youths, also called hippies
they believed in a society based on peace and love, listened to
rock'n'roll, wore colorful clothes, and abused drugs
Protests of the Vietnam War continued into the 1970s, many
people protested the draft
 Richard Nixons

Presidency
Richard Nixon was elected president in
1968, withdrew American troops from
Vietnam in 1973
Roe v. Wade (1973)- Supreme Court
case that legalized abortion in the first
three months of a pregnancy
Watergate- the name of the scandal
that led to Nixons resignation; people
connected to the White House broke
into Democratic offices hoping to obtain
information that could be used against
them
Nixon resigned in 1974; his vice
president Gerald Ford replaced him,
pardoned Nixon for all crimes he may or
may not have committed as President
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter was
elected in 1976he
relied heavily on the
fact that he was a
political outsider with
no ties to
Washingtons scandals
Iranian Hostage Crisis-
event that started
when Iranian
protestors stormed the
U.S. embassy and took
the staff hostage;
lasted until hostages
were released when
Carter left office
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was elected in
1980
Reaganomics- Reagans economic
policyidea that tax relief for the
rich would enable them to spend
and invest more (also called
trickle down economics or supply-
side economics)This new
spending would stimulate the
economy and create new jobs.
..Reagan believed that a tax cut of
this nature would ultimately
generate even more revenue for
the federal government
Reaganomics had mixed results;
during his presidency, the
national debt tripled
Berlin Wall Torn Down
Gorbachev was the leader of the Soviet
Union beginning in 1985
Ronald Reagan gave a famous speech in
Berlin in 1987 telling Gorbachev to tear
down the Berlin Wall
General Secretary Gorbachev, if you
seek peace, if you seek prosperity for
the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if
you seek liberalization, come here to
this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this
gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this
wall!- Ronald Reagan
The Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989
and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991,
largely due to the great number of
radical reforms that Soviet president
Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented
during his six years as the leader of the
USSR
The collapse of the Soviet Union marked
the end of the Cold War
George H. Bush
George H. Bush was
elected president in
1988
During Bushs
presidency, America
became involved in
the Persian Gulf War to
liberate Kuwait (small
Middle Eastern
country) from the
control of Iraq and
dictator Saddam
Hussein
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)- an
agreement that created a free trade zone between
Canada, Mexico, and the United States
The agreement was signed in 1992 under George H.
Bushs administration, and the next president, Clinton
supported it
Some Americans were against NAFTA as they feared that
Americans would lose jobs to the lower wages paid to
Mexican workers
Bill Clinton
BillClinton was elected
president in 1992 and re-
elected in 1996
Temporary Assistance For
Needy Families (TANF)-
provided temporary aid to
needy families, was created
to help families in need
become self-sufficient
One of the most memorable
aspects of Clintons
presidency was his widely
publicized affair, which
resulted in a vote to impeach
Clinton, but the vote fell
short
George W. Bush
George W. Bush (son of
George H. Bush) was
elected president in 2000
Was faced with responding
to the terrorist attack of
September 11, 2001-
terrorist attack against the
Twin Towers in New York
City and the Pentagon
USA Patriot Act- a law that
allowed federal agencies to
collect and share
information to protect the
US from a repeat of 9/11
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the
first African American
president elected in US
history, elected in 2008
Affordable Care Act of
2010 (Obamacare)- a
law that expanded
Medicaid for the poor
and made sweeping
changes to the
American healthcare
system