Transcript The 1980’s - Vernon Hills High School

Leah Kelly, Thom Flynn, David Alvaro,
Kamil Kapica, Hershel Bhat, Chris
Cabrales, and Jake Reinhardt
Politics & Elections

Candidates
 Reagan – Republican
 Carter – Democrats
 Anderson- Independent

Issues
 declining economy
 High inflation and unemployment rates
 Iranian hostage crisis
 American hostages in Iran

Results
 Reagan wins
 Landslide
 Republicans gained control of the Senate
- Candidates
Reagan – Republican
 Mondale – Democrats



VP – Geraldine Ferraro
The 1st woman on a major-party presidential ticket
- Issues

Democrats wanted budget deficits and increased tariff protections
- Results

Reagan gets re-elected with another landslide

Candidates

Bush – Republican



Dukakis - Democrat
Issues

Abortion


Bush did not support abortion
Declining economy


Reagan’s former VP
Stock market crashed 508 pts
Results

Bush wins

By a large margin

The Moral Majority
Political, Christian organization
 Conservative
 Against abortion, feminism, and gay rights
 Gained 2-3 million voters for conservative
candidates


The Supreme Court became more conservative

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
 Approved a law that put restrictions on abortion

Republican platform

Reagan & Bush
 Opposition to abortion
By Thom Flynn
Trouble

Through the year 1982, America
endured a recession.
 Business bankruptcies
 Agricultural exports declined
 Interest rates increased
Rebound
Slowdown needed in America
 1983-inflation withered away

 Growth was in the future
Consequences

Americans were discontent with federal
policies.
 Elected Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan.
Reagan’s Economic Theory

Supply-Side economics
 Reduction of tax rates so people may keep
more of what they earned, mainly the
wealthy.
 Lower Taxes-induce people to work harder
and longer.
○ More Saving and investment
 More Production
- Economic Growth
Reagan's National Agenda
Federal Government was too big and
intrusive.
 Slashed Social programs
 Reduce government regulations
affecting the consumer, the
environment, and the workplace.

Fear
President Reagan feared America
neglected the military after Vietnam.
 Pushed for increases in defense
spending.

Overwhelmed

Tax cuts and increased military spending
overwhelmed modest reductions in
spending on domestic programs
 Federal deficit swelled
Worrying

Economist feared that heavy spending
and borrowing by the federal
government would lead to inflation
again.
 Federal Reserve controlled price increases
well.
Then vs. Today
Crime

War on Drugs
 DARE
 Prison Population Doubled
Spraying of Marijuana Fields
 Anti-Drug Propaganda
 Iran-Contra Scandal
 Manuel Noriega

Immigration

Latin American and Asian Immigrants
 South and West
○ Replaced Northeast and Midwest
Previously Europeans
 Refugee Act


1979- Shah of Iran was overthrown in a
revolutionary takeover.


Iranian revolutionaries seized the US Embassy in
Tehran.
April 1980- President Carter issued a rescue
attempt for captive US citizens.

Failed miserably.

All hostages were permitted to leave Iran on
January 20, 1981.

Same day as President Reagan’s Inauguration.


Believed that the US should intervene in the
spread of Soviet-supported Marxist
governments around the world.
1985- Called for the support of all forces
fighting the Communists

Particularly in Afghanistan and Nicaragua

Believed Communism was immoral and
destructive


Policy of the weapons of “mutual assured
destruction”
Wanted to a buildup in America’s military

Goals of the buildup:
1- Strengthen the military as preparation for war
2- Persuade European allies that the US would not abandon them
3- Push the Soviets to come to the “bargaining table”

Started talks with Soviet leaders to reduce the
superpowers’ nuclear weapons stockpiles

Called the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks, or
START

Announced a plan for a missile-defense system
called the Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI

Dubbed by critics as “Star Wars”
 Ultimately failed due to lack in technologic advances

Lebanon (1982-84)
Multinational peacekeeping force to settle dispute
between Lebanon and Israel
Peace talks
withdrawal of troops violent outbreaks


Middle Eastern Terrorism (1983-88)



Multiple bombings on US Embassies
Multiple airline hijackings
Iran-Contra Affair


Started talks as soon as Gorbachev gained
power
Both wanted to get reduce the amount of
nuclear arms


INF Treaty of 1987 destroyed 2600 Soviet and
American nuclear weapons
Travelled to the Soviet Union
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtYdjbpBk6A&fe
ature=related


November 9, 1989- Fall of the Berlin Wall
December, 1989-US Forces remove leader of
Panama to stand trial
Way of life
Credit
 Importance of individual wealth
 “Me! Me! Me!”
 Tanning Salons

Fashion
Anne Klein
 Calvin Klein
 Perry Ellis
 Madonna

 Big influence
Sneakers (Nike)
 Tight-fitting pants
and torn jeans

Music, Movies and
Entertainment



MTV
Michael Jackson & Thriller
Video Games
› Ninentdo, Pac Man, Game Boy


Barbies
Movies
› Rambo
› The Goonies
› Back to the Future

TV Shows
› Smurf
› Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Religion

Evangelicalism Movement
 Conservative Evangelicalism
○ Involvement in community
○ America- fall under social conservative
 Jim Bakker
○ Former host of PTL (Praise the Lord) club
○ Preacher and evangelist
Education
College students
 Business Management
 Banned books

 The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn
 Catcher in the Rye
 The Grapes of WRath
E.D. Hirsch - conservative
 Reagan’s constitutional amendment

Do YOU believe in miracles???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGACsSW4
Iqw

Miracle on Ice
 Soviet Union
 Semi Finals
 Gold over Finland
 1984

Mt. St. Helens volcano
 Washington
 May 18, 1980
 57 dead
 $3 billion
John Lennon
 Manhattan, New York
 December 8, 1980

• March 30, 1981
• Washington D.C.
• President Ronald
Reagan
1980s v.
2010…
• March 30, 1981
• Washington D.C.
First Launch of the
Space Shuttle
 April 12, 1981

Sally Ride
 June 18, 1983

Vietnam Veterans
Memorial

GE Corp. buys RCA
Corp.
 $6.28 billion
 Largest Corporate merger
outside of the oil industry
Finally…
- January 20, 1986
Challenger Disaster
-Cape Canaveral
-January 28, 1986
Exxon Valdez
Bligh Reef, in Alaska’s William Sound
 Largest Oil Spill in US history
