Transcript Culture of the 80’s - Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School

10th American History
Unit VI – Looking Toward the Future
Chapter 22 – A Conservative Era
Section 4 – Life in the 1980’s
7/20/2015
Life in the 1980s
The Main Idea
The 1980s and early 1990s saw major technological,
economic, and social changes that produced both progress
and intense conflicts.
Reading Focus
• How did new technologies such as the space shuttle affect
society?
• How did changes in the economy of the 1980s affect various
groups of Americans?
• What other changes and challenges did U.S. society face in the
1980s?
Corporate Raiders
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Corporate raiders bought
vulnerable companies in order
to reorganize and sell them or
break them up and sell off
their valuable parts.
Other tactics that produced
great wealth on Wall Street
included investments in junk
bonds as well as greenmail- a
tactic of tricking other
investors into buying stock at
a high price.
The 1985 cartoon on the right
comments on these tactics. It
is titled “Invasion of the
Corporate Body Snatchers”, a
spoof on a popular movie
about aliens who take over
the world.
New technologies
Steve
Jobs
Bill
Gates
The
Space
Shuttle
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Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer.
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Apple computers were small enough to be used at home, and they transformed
the way Americans lived and worked.

Bill Gates started Microsoft, a company that invented a new type of computeroperating software.
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Unlike previous spacecraft, the space shuttle could be used over and over again.

The technologies developed or discovered by scientists working on the space
shuttle led to the development of infrared cameras and a treatment for brain
tumors.
Challenger Tragedy

January 28, 1986- Just 73 seconds after liftoff,
the shuttle exploded. Debris rained into the
Atlantic Ocean for more than an hour
afterward.
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All seven members of the crew were killed in
the accident.

Teacher Christa McAuliffe was chosen from
more than 11,000 applicants to train for the
mission. She was to teach classroom lessons
from space by satellite TV.

Reagan created the "The Presidential
Commission on the Space Shuttle" on February
3, 1986 to investigate the accident
independently from NASA.
How did changes in the economy of the
1980s affect various groups of Americans?

Uneven economic growth—strong
growth, but unevenly distributed

Rising deficits—expenditures far greater
than tax revenue

Financial deregulation—led to corporate
raiders, downsizing, and hostile
takeovers

Savings and loan crisis—deregulated
S&Ls loaned out too much of their
wealth and went bankrupt on a massive
scale
Uneven Economic Growth
The Distribution
The Economy
 The
economic growth was
unevenly distributed.
 GDP
and the stock market
rose to unprecedented highs.
 Alan
Greenspan and the
Federal Reserve Board
actively lowered and raised
interest rates to avoid a
recession and inflation.
 Unemployment
slowly
dropped.
 Some
credit Reaganomics for
the positive economic trends
of the 1980s.
 Others
credit the Federal
Reserve Board.
 Farmers
did poorly due to
droughts and floods.
A
recession in 1982-1983 hurt
older U.S. industries such as
steel and automobile
production.
 Factories
closed, throwing
tens of thousands out of work.
 Bankruptcies
rose 50 percent
in one year.
 Homelessness
increased
sharply.
 Reagan
tax cuts mainly
benefited the wealthy.
Average Family Income in the 1980’s

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The economic boom of the
1980’s saw an increase in
incomes for many families
with high inflation that had
wiped out most income
increases in the 1970’s.
Some of the biggest
beneficiaries of the 1980’s
boom were richer families,
who saw their incomes
increase, largely from
successful investments.
The chart on the right
shows the changes in
wealth for families in the
lowest, middle and highest
income brackets.
The Economy of the 1980s
Rising Deficits
• Tax cuts coupled
with high military
spending tripled
the budget
deficit from 1980
to 1986.
• Huge
government
borrowing was
needed to fund
the deficit.
• The U.S. trade
deficit grew as
well.
Deregulation
• Regan deregulated
financial services.
• Corporate raiders
bought declining
businesses and
merged them, cut
them into pieces, or
sold them.
• Resulted in layoffs
• Supporters claimed
this weeded out
weak companies
and helped
productivity.
S&L Crisis
• Deregulation
allowed S&Ls to
offer services
besides
mortgages.
• They loaned out
too much of their
wealth.
• Went bankrupt
during the
savings and loan
crisis.
• Government was
forced to bail S&Ls
out.
Bush and the Economy
The S&L crisis cost taxpayers an estimated $152 billion.
This and a recession that began in late 1990 forced Bush
to raise taxes.
Unemployment and poverty rose significantly during his
term.
Despite his foreign-policy successes, economic troubles at
home proved to be Bush’s political downfall.
Changes and challenges of the U.S. society
in the 1980s?

Milestones for women—politicians began to pay more
attention to female voters and to appoint women to high
public offices

Changes in immigration law—laws increased the legal
immigration limits and toughened penalties on hiring
undocumented workers

Court battles over social issues—the Supreme Court
ruled on several sensitive landmark cases

Battles over Supreme Court nominations—Reagan and
Bush tried to pack the Supreme Court and federal courts
with conservative judges

A deadly disease—scientists identified AIDS, one of the
world’s worst outbreaks of infectious disease
Changes and Challenges in American
Society
Milestones for Women
 Politicians
began to pay
attention to women voters and
interests.
 Reagan
elevated women to
high public office.
 Sandra
Day O’Connor—first
women appointed to the
Supreme Court
 Walter
Mondale asked
Geraldine Ferraro to be his
presidential running mate.
Immigration Laws
 Laws
passed in 1980 and
1986 increased legal
immigration limits and
granted legal status to
millions of undocumented
immigrants living in the
United States.
 They
also toughened
penalties on employers
who hired undocumented
workers.
 Illegal
immigration
continued to grow.
Court Battles
Social Issues

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New Jersey v. T.L.O.—schools
have the right to search
students’ belongings
Westside Community School
District v. Mergens—school had
to allow students to form an
after-school Christian group that
could meet on school grounds.
Planned Parenthood of
Southwestern PA v. Casey—state
could require informed consent,
a 24-hour wait, and parental
consent for minors before
women could have an abortion
Cruzan v. Director, Missouri
Dept. of Health—recognized an
adult’s right to refuse medical
service
Nominations
 Reagan
filled three Supreme
Court seats and appointed half
of the judges in the federal
system.
 Reagan
and Bush appointed
conservative judges, which set
off furious confirmation
hearings.
 The
Senate rejected Robert
Bork, who advocated a strict
interpretation of the
Constitution.
 Bush’s
nominee Clarence
Thomas was accused of
sexual harassment.
A Deadly Disease
 Scientist
identified one of the worst
outbreaks of infectious disease in
human history in 1981: AIDS.
 AIDS
is caused by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
 AIDS
has spread to millions of men and
women around the world.
Wealthy of the 1980’s
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Americans were fascinated by the
wealthy in the 1980’s. Young people
throughout the country copied the
preppy look, imitating fashions
associated with wealthy families on
the East Coast.
The most popular television shows
were nighttime soap operas like
Dallas and Dynasty that portrayed
glamorous, if troubled, lives of rich
families. In Dynasty, the large, oil
rich, Carrington family lived an
opulent lifestyle, yet they personified
the saying that wealth doesn’t bring
happiness. Millions of viewers tuned
in each week to watch the Carrington
spouses, parents and children
viciously fight and plot against one
another.
1980’s
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The 1980s became the Me! Me! Me!
generation of status seekers.
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During the 1980s, hostile takeovers,
leveraged buyouts, and mega-mergers
spawned a new breed of billionaire. Donald
Trump, Leona Helmsley, and Ivan Boesky
iconed the meteoric rise and fall of the rich
and famous.

If you've got it, flaunt it ; You can have it all!
Binge buying and credit became a way of life
and 'Shop Til you Drop' were all
watchwords.
FACTS about this decade

Population: 226,546,000
Unemployed in 1980:
National Debt: 1980 - $914,000,000,000
National Debt: 1986 $2,000,000,000,000
Average salary: $15,757
Life Expectancy: Male 69.9 Female 77.6
Minimum Wage: $3.10
BMW was $12,000; Mercedes 280 E
was $14,800
Attendance: Movies 20 million/week
Chernobyl

In the early morning hours of 26 April 1986, a testing error
caused an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station
in northern Ukraine. During a radioactive fire that burned
for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the
atmosphere. The wind blew 70% of the radioactive material
into the neighboring country of Belarus.
Almost 20 years later, the people of Belarus continue to
suffer medically, economically, environmentally and socially
from the effects of the disaster. These are the facts:
The Accident
* The Chernobyl power plant is located on the border area
between Ukraine and Belarus.
* The explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl released 100
times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (1)
* At the time of the accident, about 7 million people lived in
contaminated territories, including 3 million children.
* About 5.5 million people - including more than a million
children - continue to live in contaminated zones. (2)Thyroid
cancer, Leukemia, Childhood diseases, Cancers, Birth
Defects, Genetic mutations and Heart disease.
Interesting events

Toxic Shock Toxic shock syndrome is a rare, life-threatening bacterial

infection that has been most often associated with the use of superabsorbent tampons and
occasionally with the use of contraceptive sponges.
In 1980, an outbreak of toxic shock syndrome occurred that mostly involved young women
who had been using a particular brand of superabsorbent tampons. The cause of the outbreak
seemed to be toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria

Medicare-our country’s health insurance program for people age 65
or older. Certain people younger than age 65 can qualify for Medicare, too,
including those who have disabilities and those who have permanent kidney
failure. The program helps with the cost of health care, but it does not cover all
medical expenses or the cost of most long-term care. Medicare is financed by a
portion of the payroll taxes paid by workers and their employers. It also is
financed in part by monthly premiums deducted from Social Security checks.

“Just Say No!” Nancy Reagan’s active campaign against drug
and alcohol abuse.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial-The official name of
the Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is sometimes referred to as
VVM or "the Wall". The figures are called "The Three Servicemen". This is
not a war Memorial but a Memorial to those who served in the war, both living
and dead.
Sandra Day O’Conner
Wayne Williams
Interesting people
Nancy Reagan

Wayne Williams-

Sandra Day O’Conner-

Geraldine Ferraro-first woman vice-presidential candidate.

Jesse Jackson-

Rock Hudson- famous actor who died of AIDs

Jim Bakker-televangelist who was sentenced to 45 years for selling bogus
From October 1979 to May 1981, Wayne Williams
killed twenty-seven young black boys in Atlanta. At trial Williams was found
guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
first woman supreme court justice.
first black presidential candidate.
Geraldine Ferraro
Jim Bakker
lifetime vacations.

Nancy Reagan- President Reagan’s wife and first lady who started the
“Just Say No” to drugs program
Jesse Jackson
Education

1980 study by UCLA and American Council on Education indicated that
college freshmen were more interested in status, power, and money than at
any time during the past 15 years. Business Management was the most
popular major.

American education came under fire during the 1980s. Liberals cried out
against budget cuts and rising student costs. School districts offered
teachers exams and exit exams became a part of graduating for Education
majors.

Conservatives like E.D.Hirsch, Jr. and William Bennett advocated a return
to the classics for college students and back to the basic skills for public
school students. An attempt was made to improve the teacher quality by
raising salaries slightly. Efforts to censor books tripled in the eighties. The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , The Grapes of Wrath, and Catcher in the
Rye were among books banned in New York State. Roget's Thesaurus
banned sexist categories: mankind becamehumankind; countryman became
country dweller. Columbia University, the last all male Ivy League school,
began accepting women in 1983. President Reagan endorsed a
constitutional amendment to permit school prayer. It was defeated.
Medical Advances

Research money allowed for studies and new
treatments for heart, cancer, and other
diseases.

Major advances in genetics research led to
the 1988 funding of the Human Genome
Project. This project will locate the estimated
80,000 genes contained in human DNA.
Fashions
80's Flops
Ra ra and bubble skirts ; Fluorescent socks and tshirts: Drop waisted dresses : Lace gloves : Fergie
bows - in the hair
White leather fringed cowboy boots - Not unless
you're Dolly Parton and you're boot scooting!
80's Fabulous
Tie sleeve and Batwing tops - Drop earrings - Micro
minis - Big gold earrings - Multiple belts - Coloured
tights - and This time round,
7/20/2015 pair coloured or camel
toned fishnet tights with a knee length skirt, knee high
leather boots and a turtleneck for a subtly funky
effect. Leg warmers.
Fads
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Big Hair
Skater hair and flat tops and Punk
Painter hats and pierced ears.
Michael Jackson Thriller coat
OP, Izod, Argyle- Hawaiian and Rugby Shirts.
Parachute pants.
Converse Hightops
Pegged jeans
Jelly shoes
Zubaz and spandex
Valley Girl
Michael Jackson glove and Miami Vice look
Swatch watches
Rubiks cube
Pacman, Nintendo, and Gameboy
Smurf, ET, and Cabbage Patch Dolls
Sneakers
Music
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Cable TV and MTV
Slam dancing and break dancing
Vogueing (posing)
Pop, rock, new wave, punk,
country, and especially rap or hip
hop
Milli Vanilli, M. C. Hammer ,
Vanilla Ice, and L.L. Cool J.
Movies
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Nerds- Revenge of the Nerds, Lucas, Stand by Me,
and Peggy Sue Got Married. TV joined the nerd
ranks with ABC's hit series Head of the Class
In 1981, VCR sales rose 72% in 12 months.
By 1989, 60 percent of American households with
televisions received cable service.
Huge or memorable movies of the decade included
On Golden Pond, Tootsie, Arthur, Stephen Spielberg
Movies like E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, The
Big Chill, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Out of
Africa, Back to the Future, Cocoon, The Breakfast
Club,Platoon,Star Trek, Good Morning Vietnam,
Fatal Attraction, Rain Man, and Driving Miss Daisy.
Television

Anti-family sitcoms like Roseanne and
Married...with Children;

Tabloid tv with Geraldo, Phil, Sally, and
Oprah

Stand up comics included Gary Shandling,
Jane Curtin, George Carlin, Jackie Mason,
Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, and Tracy
Ullman;

Info-tainment includedNightline with Ted
Koppel, CNN Cable News,and 20/20 with
Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters. 60
Minutes which had first aired in 1968 was
bigger than ever.
Foods

Food of the 80s included the popular fast
food places like Taco Bell and
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McDonald's McDLT and McRib. Kids loved
Sweetarts, Skittles, Nerds, Runts, Hubba
Bubba Chewing Gum, and Five Alive.
John Lennon shot and killed

John Lennon was shot and killed
in New York. The gunman, Mark
Chapman, apparently shouted 'I
am the Catcher in the Rye' just
before dropping to the ground
and firing the weapon.