Transcript The Age of Liberalism - Camden Central Schools

The Age of Liberalism
Thesis
Historians have often referred to the 20th century as an
“Age of Liberalism.” The New Deal set an agenda that
even Republican Presidents could not totally avoid.
Franklin D. Roosevelt forged an alliance between
organized labor, northern African-Americans and
southern Democrats that allowed the Democrats to put
a stranglehold over politics. During the 1960s, cracks
in the liberal coalition emerged over the issues of
Vietnam and Civil Rights. These issues helped polarize
society further during the 1960s making it increasingly
difficult for moderates to hold power. The final
breakup of the liberal coalition occurred in 1980 when
Ronald Reagan won the presidency by arguing that
liberal reforms were responsible for economic
stagnation.
The Nixon-Kennedy Debates
Nixon-Kennedy Debates

On 26 September 1960, 70 million U.S. viewers
tuned in to watch Senator John Kennedy of
Massachusetts and Vice President Richard
Nixon in the first-ever televised presidential
debate.
 It was the first of four televised "Great Debates"
between Kennedy and Nixon.
 The Great Debates marked television's grand
entrance into presidential politics. They afforded
the first real opportunity for voters to see their
candidates in competition, and the visual
contrast was dramatic.
The Election of 1960
JFK Foreign Policy Issues
 See
hand out
Kennedy’s Domestic Agenda
The New Frontier
•During the campaign,
Kennedy called for an
extensive program of New Deal
style social and economic
reforms.
•After a narrow victory in the
1960 election, Kennedy
focused his attention on the
economy and foreign policy
(relatively non-controversial
issues).
New Frontier
 Aid
to education, federal support of health
care, urban renewal, and civil rights
 Congress did not pass
 Achieved roll back in steel prices
 Economy stimulated by increased
spending for defense and space
 Peace Corps
 Alliance for Progress (Land reform and
economic development)
The JFK Assassination
Moments before the assassination
LBJ being sworn into office
on Air Force One
The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United
States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas,
USA at 12:30 p.m



John F. Kennedy was fatally wounded by gunshots while
riding with his wife Jacqueline in a presidential
motorcade through Dealey Plaza.
“Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald” …
that was the conclusion of multiple government
investigations, including the ten-month investigation of
the Warren Commission of 1963–1964 and the United
States House Select Committee on Assassinations
(HSCA) of 1976–1979.
The assassination is still the subject of widespread
speculation and has spawned numerous conspiracy
theories, though none of these theories have been
proven.
The Election of 1964
The Other America (1962)
by Michael Harrington
Poverty in America
11 million people had less than a 6th grade education
1/5 of all families lived below poverty line
½ of all female-headed households lived below poverty line
½ of all households headed by adults over 65 lived below poverty line
80% of all non-white farm families lived below poverty line
In 1963, Welfare payments for a family of 4 were $1,920/year; poverty
level for that year was $3,000/year.
Johnson’s “Great Society”
“We have the power to shape the
civilization that we want. We stand at
the edge of the greatest era in the life
of any nation. For the first time in
world history, we have the abundance
and the ability to free every man from
hopeless want… This nation has
man’s first chance to create a Great
Society.”
-Lyndon B. Johnson, June, 1964
In 1966 President Johnson asked Congress for 200 pieces of
legislation; Congress approved 181 of them! The President’s
proposals sought to remedy almost every ill that was thought
to afflict Americans.
The Johnson Treatment
Lyndon B. Johnson saw
poverty as the major domestic
problem in the country. In
1996, the release of his
secretly recorded tapes of the
president's White House
telephone calls reveal, he
pulled strings and applied his
infamous powers of
persuasion -- called the
"Johnson Treatment" -- to
make sure that his solution to
poverty was put in place.
The Great Society: Civil Rights
Program
Year
What it did…
Civil Rights Act
1964
Segregation illegal and federal
government more power to enforce
school desegregation
Equal Employment
Commission
1964
End racial discrimination in
employment
24th Amendment
1964
Banned poll tax
Voting Rights Act
1965
In reaction to violence in Selma/King
marches-no literacy tests and federal
registrars
The Great Society:
War on Poverty
Program
Year What it did…
Economic Opportunity
Act
1964 included several social programs to promote the
health, education, and general welfare of the poor
Office of Economic
Opportunity
1964 Anti-poverty agency with billion $ budget
-self-help for poor: Head Start, Job Corps,
literacy, legal programs, etc.
Job Corps
1964 (Under OEO) no-cost education and vocational
training program that helps young people ages 16-24
get a better job, make more money, and take control of
their lives.
Legal Srvs. for the Poor 1964 Under OEO
VISTA
1964 Volunteers in Service to America: resembled the Peace
Corps-allowed fed. govt. to recruit, train, and fund vol.
who spend 1 yr. living among poor. They work on antipoverty programs.
1965-2000 120,000 Americans nationally
Model Cities
1966 Federal Urban aid program
The Great Society: Education
Program
Year What it did…
Elementary &
Secondary Education
Act
1965 Aid to poor districts
Head Start
1965 Under OEO
Federally funded pre-school education for low
income children
Upward Bound
1965 Federally funded college prep program for 1st
generation college students. Both a summer
program and monitored during the year.
(I used to work for Upward Bound…amazing
program for high school students!!!)
Rachel Carson: Silent Spring

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27,
1907 – April 14, 1964) was an
American marine biologist and
nature writer whose writings are
credited with advancing the
global environmental movement.
 Silent Spring spurred a reversal
in national pesticide policy—
leading to a nationwide ban on
DDT and other pesticides
The Great Society: Environment
Program
Year
What it did…
Water Quality
Act
1965
Air Quality Act
1965
All examples of
regulations for
environmental
quality.
Clean Water
Restoration Act
1966
The Great Society: Government
Program
Year What it did…
Dept. of Housing &
Urban
Development
(HUD)
1965 Model Cities, improve coordination of existing
urban programs and provide additional funds
National Endowment
for the Humanities
& Arts
1965 Federal funds for the arts and humanities.
(This program is paying for me to attend 2
amazing programs this year. )
Dept. of
Transportation
1966 Ralph Nader- Unsafe at Any Speed
-Motor Vehicle Safety Act 1966
-Highway Safety Act 1966
-$375 M for large scale urban public
reorganization of rail projects and fed.
transport. agencies
The Great Society: Health Care
(7th)
Program
Year
What it did…
Medicare
1965
Health care to ages 65+
Medicaid
1965
Health care to poor/disabled
The Great Society: Immigration
Program
Year What it did…
Immigration &
Nationality Act
1965 Abolished national origins quotas in immigration
law
Pros and Cons
Pros
 Help for millions of
ignored Americans
Cons
 Unrealistic to
eliminate poverty, too
costly, and inefficient
Beautify America



First Lady-Lady Bird
Johnson
(December 22, 1912 – July
11, 2007)
Throughout her life, she was
an advocate for
beautification of the nation's
cities and highways and
conservation of natural
resources, and made that
her major initiative as First
Lady.
The Vietnam War
1960-1973
War of containment
North Vietnam (Communist) vs. South
Vietnam (Pro- West)


Allies of North: U.S.S.R., People’s
Republic of China
Allies of South: U.S., South Korea
North wanted to reunify with the South
after the country was split in two at the
1954 Geneva Conference
1960- “Viet Cong” (North) invaded
Southern Vietnam and the war began
The Vietnam War (cont.)
1964- Gulf of Tonkin- North Vietnam accused of attacking U.S.
destroyers

Lead to a large increase in U.S. involvement

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- the President has the right to
“prevent further aggression” from the North Vietnamese
• The number of troops sent to Vietnam skyrocketed
(500,000)
U.S. made very few gains

American troops fought a conventional war, while the
Vietnamese were fighting an ideological war
• U.S. tried to achieve their goals with as few American
deaths as possible
• Vietnamese didn’t care how many people had to die for
their cause
The Vietnam War (cont.)
1968
Tet Offensive- North
Vietnam attacked
U.S. and pushed
them back (U.S.
eventually regained
the territory)
• Portrayed as a
huge loss by
American media
Vietnam
By 1968 the war in Vietnam
reached its peak. With
543,000 troops deployed.
That same year, the
Vietcong’s Tet Offensive
seemed to demonstrate the
un winnable of the war.
1968:A Year of Crisis
 MLK
shot and riots across the US
 RFK shot as he campaigned in CA
 Violence at Democratic Convention in
Chicago in 3-way race between McCarthy,
Nixon, Wallace.
 White backlash-Wallace (shot also)
marshaled opposition to liberal
 Nixon/Agnew- “hawk”- peace with honor,
law and order
The Assassination of RFK
Robert Kennedy
1968 Democratic National Convention
“The Whole World is Watching!”
1968:A Year of Crisis
 People
had enough of counterculture
protests, violence, permissiveness, and
drugs.
 Tide against New Deal Liberalism and
federal government intervention
=conservatives on top
The Election of 1968
The Vietnam War (cont.)
1968

My Lai
Massacre- A
Vietnamese
town
suspected of
harboring
enemies was
brutally
murdered by
U.S. soldiers
The Vietnam War (cont.)
1968
 Nixon took office- promised to get
America out of the war
• Vietnamization- Bring U.S. troops
home and leave the majority of the
fighting to the Vietnamese
The Vietnam War (cont.)
1971- Pentagon Papers leaked to the press

Showed that the U.S. had deliberately expanded its
involvement in Vietnam
• This was happening while Pres. Lyndon Johnson
was telling the American people that the U.S.
would not expand its involvement
1973- Ceasefire signed

U.S. removed all troops

No provisions for POW’s or MIA’s

War resumed between North and South Vietnam
1975- North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam
Results
3 million Vietnamese died
58,000 Americans died
$150 million spent on the war

Under funding for Great
Society programs
The 1960’s and 1970’s
Social/Cultural Changes
Student Movement/New Left
Radical political movement of
the 1960’s and 70’s
– Mostly comprised of
college students
Social activists
Beliefs
– Anti- Draft
– Pro- Civil Rights
– Anti- Traditional values
(family, complacency)
• Rebelled with sex,
drugs, and rock’n’roll
– Opposed authority (AntiEstablishment)

Various liberal groups
identified with black
struggles


The New Left
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
was, a student activist movement in the
U.S. that was one of the main iconic
representations of the country's New Left.
The organization developed and
expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before
dissolving at its last convention in 1969.
SDS was the organizational high point for
student radicalism in the United States
and has been an important influence on
student organizing in the decades since
its collapse.
 Participatory democracy, direct action,
radicalism, student power, shoestring
budgets, and its organizational structure
are all present in varying degrees in
current national student activist groups.
 Though various organizations have been
formed in subsequent years as proposed
national networks for left-wing student
organizing, none has approached the
scale of SDS, and most have lasted a few
years at best.
Port Huron Statement

SDS political manifesto, was adopted at the
organization's first convention in 1962, based on an
earlier draft by staff member Tom Hayden.
 Criticized the political system of the U. S. for failing to
achieve international peace
 Criticized racial discrimination, economic inequality, big
businesses, trade unions and political parties.
 Suggested a series of reforms:





a greater democracy by reshaping two genuine parties
a stronger power of citizens with citizens’ lobbies
higher involvement of workers in business management
enlarged public sector and an increased welfare with notably a
“program against poverty.”
advocated as well non-violent civil disobedience as the
means by which student youth could bring forth a
"participatory democracy."
Berkeley 1964

The Free Speech
Movement (FSM)
was a student
protest which took
place during the
1964-1965 school
year on the
campus of the
University of
California,
Berkeley
Police Car Sit-in
What’s Wrong with Free Speech?
The Protests
The First D.C. Rally
April 17, 1965
 One month after the U.S. sent its first troops to
Vietnam
 Staged by the Leftist group, Students for a
Democratic Society
 16,000 people picketed outside the White
House
• “No More War”
• “We Want Peace Now”
 Only 4 arrests made
March on the Pentagon
October 21, 1967

Culmination of 5 days of protests organized by the
National Mobilization Committee to End the War in
Vietnam

Famous speakers came to address the crowd (Robert
Lowell, Benjamin Spock)

The protest escalated when the leaders of the Youth
International Party announced they were going to
“exorcise” the Pentagon
• People surrounded the building and chanted spells to
try and drive out the “evil war spirits”
 “LBJ, Pull Out Now, Like Your Father Should Have
Done.”
• Tear gas was released into the crowd
• 2,500 troops guarded the Pentagon
• 681 arrested
March on the Pentagon (cont.)
The Moratorium Rally (D.C.)
November 15, 1969

America’s biggest anti- war demonstration ever
• 250,000- 500,000 protestors present

A little less wild
• LBJ was out of office and Nixon had initiated his
“Vietnamization” plan
• Police had learned how to handle protests
 3,000 Police
 9,000 Army troops
 200 Lawyers
 75 Clergymen

Protest was peaceful for the most part
• 135 arrests made
The Moratorium Rally (cont.)
The Moratorium Rally was the largest anti-war protest in U.S.
history
Kent State
In response to Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia

Didn’t want to be drafted
May 1, 1970- Day One

Huge demonstration on the College’s commons

Around midnight rowdy bikers began throwing bottles
and vandalizing cars in the street

Approximately 100 students joined in

Police eventually got the situation under control
Kent State (cont.)
May 2, 1970- Day Two
 State of Emergency declared in Kent
• Ohio Governor, James A. Rhodes, called in the National
Guard
 Demonstrations continued on campus
• Reserve Officer Training Corps building was set on fire
 Fire men and police were pelted with rocks by the
surrounding crowd
 10:00 p.m.- National Guard set up camp on Kent State’s
campus
• Used tear gas and arrested the protestors
• At least one person was bayoneted
May 3, 1970- Day Three
 More protests
 Curfew imposed on students
Kent State (cont.)
The National Guard was sent in to maintain order on
Kent State’s campus
Kent State (cont.)
May 4, 1970- Day Four
 Pre-planned rally commenced
• Approx. 2,000 people present
 National Guard told them to disperse
• People refused
• Troops sprayed the crowd with tear gas
 Crowd began throwing rocks and chased the National Guard
off campus
• “Pigs off Campus!”
 After being chased up a hill by the angry protestors, the
National Guard opened fire on the crowd
• Firing lasted 13 seconds
• 4 dead
• 9 wounded
Kent State (cont.)
The National Guard was chased up
a hill by angry students
A shocked student grieves over a
dead body, shot down by the National
Guard
Ohio by Neil Young
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=przRI7Gu-U
Fourth D.C. Rally
In response to Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State
shootings
Goal: Close down Washington D.C. on May 3, 1971
 Shut off all access routes to the city
• The protestors would come in waves so if one wave got
arrested the next would be there to take its place
 March on the Pentagon, the Capitol, and the Justice
Department
Two weeks before May Day, 1971
 Over 200,000 people attended peaceful rallies in D.C.
 As May 3 approached many left, leaving only the die- hard
radicals (organized by the People’s Coalition for Peace and
Justice)
The Fourth D.C. Rally (cont.)
The Fourth D.C. Rally (cont.)
As May 3 approached, the Police prepared to arrest huge numbers
of people

Fill- in- the- blank arrest forms (to arrest people faster)

Polaroid cameras would be used to take pictures of
perpetrators so the Policeman could remember him later in
court

New “flexi- cuffs” with officer’s badge number already on them

“Arrest teams” created to streamline the arresting process
• Arresting officer
• Handcuffing officer
• Transporting officer
The Fourth D.C. Rally (cont.)
May 2, 1971

Police announced over a loudspeaker that the 30,000
protestors camping out in West Potomac Park must vacate
• Reason: “violation of their permit” (use of drugs)

Only 12,000 people remained after the announcement
May 3, 1971

Police used tear gas to keep streets open
• 7,000 people arrested- the record to date
• 155 injuries

Protestors plan was thwarted and D.C. stayed open
Contemporary
American Politics 1976-2009
Carter
Ford
H.W. Bush
Reagan
W. Bush
Clinton
Obama
Contemporary Politics
During the past 30 years, Presidents from both
parties have struggled to balance the ideals of the
Great Society with national security concerns.
Every American leader from Johnson to G.W. Bush
has found it difficult to provide both “guns” and
“butter.” During the 1970s high federal spending on
Vietnam and the Great Society resulted in high
inflation, precisely at the moment when American
industrial productivity was declining. The resulting
“stagflation” created a complex economic problem
that proved unresponsive to most traditional
methods of regulating the economy.
Richard Nixon: Domestic Policy
Many of Nixon’s policies seemed liberal or even progressive.
How can historians characterize them?
•Affirmative Action
•Bakke v. Regents of Univ. of CA
•Environmental Programs
•EPA, Endangered Species Act
•Worker/Consumer Protections
•OSHA
•Women’s Rights (Supported ERA)
•Funding for Arts
Economic Problems
Stagflation: Recession + High Inflation
Causes
Declining Productivity
Increased Global Comp.
Trade Deficits
Large Work Force
High Labor Costs
High Gov Spending
High Energy Costs
Richard Nixon: Economic Policy
1. Devolution: Turning administration over to states govs
2. Block Grants to States
3. Ended Gold Standard… Free floating exchange devalued
U.S. dollar… foreign goods become expensive… inflation
4. Price freezes on agricultural goods… shortages/inflation.
More Problems…
Fighting a recession only
makes inflation worse…
And
Fighting inflation makes a
recession worse.
Richard Nixon: Foreign Policy
Secret Plan: Vietnamization
Détente: “Easing of Tensions”
-Goal: Isolate Vietnam, Exploit
Differences between USSR &
China
Nixon Doctrine: U.S. allies
should no longer expect U.S. to
send troops to support them
SALT I Treaty: Arms Limits
Nixon & Kissinger
War Powers Act: Pres 90 days to
seek Congressional approval
The Watergate Scandal
•Enemies Lists
•CREEP (Committee to ReElect the President)
•The Plumbers
•“Saturday Night Massacre”
Articles of Impeachment
•Abuse of Power
•Obstruction of Justice
•Contempt of Congress
•Woodward & Bernstein
Only President to
Resign Office!
Gerald Ford
-Issued Nixon a full pardon
-Popularity dropped
-Solid Democratic Majority in
1974 Mid-term Election
-Use of veto… Many
congressional overrides
-Anti-inflation policies caused
worst recession in since 1930s
1976 Election
Jimmy Carter: Domestic Policy
Domestic Policy
•Washington Outsider
•Dept of Energy
•Environmentalism
•Alaska Reserves
•Toxic Waster Fund
•Alternative Energy &
Conservation
•Dept of Education
Jimmy Carter: Economic Policy
Continued
Stagflation
Loosening
credit caused
inflation
Tightening
credit caused
recession
Deregulation: Airline, Trucking, Banking, Communications…
Carter began in 1978, but Reagan reaped economic benefit
Jimmy Carter: Foreign Policy
-Human Rights Emphasis
-Panama Canal
-Covert Ops in Afghanistan
-Continue Détente
-Iranian Hostage Crisis
-Camp David Accords
The Election of 1980
1984 Election
Reagan: Domestic Policy
•Washington Outsider…
•Actor… Simple Message
•“New Right” Tapped into
Evangelical Christians,
Fiscal Conservatives, AntiCommunist Nationalists
•Small Government…
attacked welfare, social
spending, business &
environmental regulations
•Family Values
Reagan: Economic Policy
•Supply-side
•Tax Cuts
•Increased
Defense Spending
•Massive Deficit
Spending
•FED tightened
credit…
-1980-1984: Recession
•Deregulation
-1984-1987: Expansion
•Savings & Loans
Ronald Reagan: Foreign Policy
•Reagan Doctrine: U.S. will
aid “freedom fighters” trying
to overthrow communism
•“Evil Empire:” Bipolarism
•Lebanon
•Grenada
•INF Treaty
•Iran-Contra Scandal
•Bombing of Libya
1988 Presidential Election
George H.W. Bush: Domestic Policy
•Americans w Disabilities Act
• AIDS
•Clean Air Act of 1990
•Clarence Thomas Supreme
Court Controversy
•L.A. Race Riots
George H. W. Bush : Economic Policy
•Continued
Deficits & Debt
•Post Gulf War
Recession
•Trade Deficit
George H.W. Bush: Foreign Policy
•Fall of Communism
•Tiananmen Square
Massacre in China
•Invasion of Panama
•Desert Storm
•Deter Iraqi Aggression
•Stability in Mid-East
•Protect oil resources
1992 Presidential Election
We’ve Decided to Adopt
1996 Election
Bill Clinton: Domestic Policy
•Brady Bill: Gun Control
•Welfare Reform
•Hate Crimes Law
•Multiculturalism
•Americorps
•Y2K Problem
•Domestic Terrorism
•Oklahoma City
•Unabomber
•Columbine Shooting
Bill Clinton: Economic Policy
•NAFTA (North
American Free
Trade Agreement)
•Globalization
•Defense Spending
Cuts
“It’s the economy stupid!”
Economic Expansion: 19922000, Dot-Com Boom
•Budget conflicts w/
GOP
•Balanced Budget
by 2000
Bill Clinton: Foreign Policy
•Human Rights
•Somalia, Haiti,
Bosnia, & Kosovo
•Rwanda
•Iraq: Sanctions,
Inspections & Bombings
•War on Drugs
Terrorism
First World Trade Center Bombing, African
Embassy Bombings, U.S.S. Cole Bombing
Bill Clinton: Impeachment
Ken Starr Investigations
-Whitewater
-Paula Jones
-Monica Lewinsky
Impeachment Charges
-Perjury
-Obstruction of Justice
Partisan Vote… no removal
The Teflon President
-Clinton’s approval rating
remained above 60% even at the
height of the impeachment
process.
-Polls showed that most
Americans disapproved of
impeachment.
-Voting occurred along party
lines.
-House of Reps achieved simple
majority needed to impeach.
-Senate fell far short of the 2/3
majority needed to remove the
President.
The Election of 2000
George W. Bush: Economic Policy
Tax Cuts, Return to
Supply-side
•Bankruptcy Reform
•Free Trade Area of
the Americas (FTAA)
George W. Bush: Domestic Policy
-No Child Left Behind
-Domestic War on Terror
Airport Security
Dept. Homeland Security
-Faith-Based Initiatives
-Social Security Reform
-Medicare Prescription Benefit
-Arctic Drilling/Energy
George W. Bush: Foreign Policy
•China Spy Plane Crisis
•War on Terror
•Bush Doctrine: Go after
any country that
supports or harbors
terrorists… “Axis of
Evil”
•Afghanistan
Unilateralism:
•Kyoto Treaty, “Star Wars,”
International Criminal Court,
Geneva Accords, Iraq…
•Preemption
•2nd Gulf War
•Terrorism, WMD,
Democracy
Election of 2000
Florida: Election of 2000
Results by County
Election of 2000





Gore wins nation-wide popular
vote
Florida Election Disputed
Confusion Caused by Butterfly
Ballots in Palm Beach & Dade
Counties
Recount ordered by Florida
State Supreme Court
Bush v. Gore (2000) U.S.
Supreme Court Orders
Recount to End… Bush wins
2004 Election
2004 Election Results by County
3D 2004 Election Results
Ohio: 2004 Election
Results by County
2008 Election Map
2008 Presidential Election by County
2008 Election Map by County
Relative to Population