Transcript Chapter 24 Section 3 - East Lycoming School District

Chapter 24 Section 3
The Ford and Carter Years
Ford Travels a Rough Road

President Gerald
Ford urged
Americans to put
Watergate behind
them
 “Our long national
nightmare is over”
 The bad economy
still persisted
 Ford’s policies
offered little relief
“A Ford, Not a Lincoln”

Ford seemed likable
and honest
 Openly admitted his
limitations remarking
he is a “Ford not a
Lincoln”
“A Ford, Not a Lincoln”

September 8, 1974Ford pardoned Nixon
 An attempt to move
the country beyond
Watergate
 This cost Ford public
support
 Ford hoped to win
support back by
fixing the troubled
economy
Ford Tries to “Whip” Inflation




Economy had worsened
by the time Ford got to
office
Inflation and
unemployment
continued to rise
OPEC had caused gas
and heating oil prices to
soar
Inflation went from 6% to
11%
Ford Tries to “Whip” Inflation

To fix the problem
Ford promoted a
program of massive
citizen action
 Called Whip Inflation
Now (WIN)


Called Americans to
cut use of oil and
gas
Plan fell flat
because no
incentives were
offered
Ford Tries to “Whip” Inflation

Ford then tried to
curb inflation through
a “tight money”
policy


Cut government
spending
Encouraged the
Federal reserve
Board to restrict
credit through high
interest rates

Triggered the worst
recession in 40
years
Ford Battles the Congress

As Ford implemented
his programs, he had to
fight with a Congress
intent on pushing its own
economic agenda

Called for a federal jobs
program to cut
unemployment (8.5%)
 Ford rejected plan

Said pumping more
money into the
economy would just
increase inflation
Ford Tries to “Whip” Inflation


While in office only 2
years, Ford vetoed more
the 50 pieces of
legislation
His economic policies
received mixed reviews



Inflation dropped below
10% by 1975
Unemployment
declined
Held stagflation steady

Offered no lasting
solutions
Ford’s Foreign Policy

Had little experience
with foreign
diplomacy
 Relied heavily on
Kissinger (secretary
of state)
 Pushed ahead with
Nixon’s policy of
negotiating with
China and the Soviet
Union
Ford’s Foreign Policy


1974- met with
Brezhnev to discuss
next round of arms talks
Traveled to Helsinki,
Finland to discuss the
future of east-west
relations

U.S. along with 35
other nations signed
Helsinki Accords

Promised greater
cooperation between
the nations of East
and West Europe
Ford’s Foreign Policy




Had problems in
Southeast Asia
Cambodia seized a U.S.
merchant ship
Ford responded with
massive military force
Massive air strikes
against Cambodia and
Marines to save the 39
crew members

Cost the lived of 41
U.S. troops
Ford’s Foreign Policy

Most liked the show
of strength
 Critics argued that it
cost more lives than
it saved

And he acted
without consulting
Congress
Jimmy Carter Enters the White
House

Ford won the
Republican
nomination for
President in 1976
 Had to fend of a
powerful
conservative
challenge from
former California
governor Ronald
Reagan
Jimmy Carter Enters the White
House


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Republicans seemed
divided over Ford’s
leadership due to his
economic policies
Democrats confidently
eyes the White House
Democrats nominated a
nationally unknown
peanut farmer and
former Georgia
governor- Jimmy Carter
1976 Election


People suspicious of
Washington insiders due
to Watergate
Jimmy Carter- a political
outsider- seemed like a
logical candidate


Soft spoken
Promised to restore
integrity to the
Presidency
1976 Election

Carter and Ford
squared off over
inflation, energy, and
unemployment
 People tended to like
Carter more for his
personality and
morality than his
knowledge
1976 Election

Ford began
campaign well
behind in the vote
 Was able to narrow
the gap, but not
close it
 Carter wins a close
election

40.8 million to 39.1
million
Georgia Comes to Washington

Carter brought a
down to earth style
to Washington

Symbolized by
walking down
Pennsylvania
Avenue to the
White House rather
than ride in his
limousine
Georgia Comes to Washington

Stayed in touch with
the people with FDR
style “fireside chats”
 Held “phone-ins” so
people could talk
directly to the
President
 Failed to reach out to
Congress in a similar
way
Georgia Comes to Washington

Carter refused to
play the “insider”
game of compromise
and deal making
 Alienated himself
from congressional
members of his own
party
Georgia Comes to Washington

Democrats often
joined Republicans
to sink Carter’s
budget proposals
and legislative
agenda

Including major
reform of the tax
and welfare system
Carter’s Domestic Agenda

Carter focused on
the country’s energy
and economic crises
 Had some success
 Could not bring the
U.S. out of its
economic
downswing
Confronting the Energy Crisis

Carter considered
the energy crisis to
be the nation’s
biggest problem


Largely caused by
reliance on foreign
oil
Urged Americans to
cut their
consumption of oil
and gas
Confronting the Energy Crisis

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Presented Congress
with more than 100
proposals on energy
conservation and
development
Representatives from oil
and gas producing
states resisted some of
the proposals
Auto companies lobbies
against gas rationing
provisions
Confronting the Energy Crisis

Eventually developed
the National Energy Act

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Placed a tax on gas
guzzling cars
Removed price controls
on oil and gas
produced in the U.S.
Extended tax credits for
the development of
alternative energy
Confronting the Energy Crisis

By 1979- U.S.
dependence on
foreign oil eased
slightly


Industries produced
more gas efficient
cars & home
heating systems
Citizens lowered
thermostats &
reinsulated homes
Economic Crisis Worsens

Summer 1979Violence in the
Middle East
produces a major
fuel shortage
 OPEC announces
another major price
hike
 Inflation soars from
7.6% to 11.3%
Economic Crisis Worsens

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Carter implements
voluntary wage and
price freezes to slow
inflation
Introduced spending
cuts to reduce national
debt
Lifted government
controls from trucking,
railroads and shipping
industries to stimulate
business
Raised interest rates to
reduce the money
supply
Economic Crisis Worsens
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Nothing worked
Carter’s scattershot
approach convinced
many that he had no
economic policy at all
Made a speech
complaining that
Americans had lost
confidence

Many Americans had
felt like he had given up
Economic Crisis Worsens

1980- inflation rose
to 14%
 American standard
of living dropped
from 1st to 5th
 Carter’s approval
rating plummeted

26% approval rating

Lower than Nixon’s
worst approval
rating
A Changing Economy

Economy changed from
manufacturing jobs (cars
companies) to service
sector jobs
(communications,
transportation, and
retail)

Shift came due to the
development of the
micro chip that allowed
for cheap mass
production
A Changing Economy

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The shift left many out of
work because high
paying jobs required
more education
Growing overseas
competition cut into
American markets

Iron, steel, rubber, cars

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Many workers had to
be laid off
Many corporations
went overseas to cut
costs
Carter and Civil Rights

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Carter took pride in his
civil rights record
His administration
included more women
and African Americans
than any before
However, due to other
problems, civil rights
issues did not have
priority
Carter and Civil Rights

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Courts turned against
affirmative action
Supreme Court decision
Regents of the
University of California v.
Bakke


Said university’s
affirmative action
policies were
unconstitutional
Made to difficult to
establish effective
affirmative action
programs
A Human Rights Foreign Policy

Carter thought a lot
about human rights
 Based his foreign
policy on it
 Rejected Realpolitik

Didn’t want to
negotiate with
foreign nations with
bad behavior
Advancing Human Rights

Like President
Wilson, carter
wanted to use moral
principles as a guide
for foreign policy
 Believed U.S. should
commit itself to
human rights
throughout the world
Advancing Human Rights

He put this principle
to practice

Cut off military aid
to Argentina and
Brazil

They had good
relations to the U.S.,
but had imprisoned
or tortured
thousands of their
own people
Advancing Human Rights

Many liked Carter’s
idealism

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But began to worry
His policies
undercut
Nicaragua- a
dictatorship-but an
important anticommunist ally
Advancing Human Rights

Carter was
inconsistent

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Supported
dictatorships in
South Korea and
the Philippines
Further criticized
when he gave up
ownership of the
Panama Canal
Yielding the Panama Canal

U.S. had owned
Panama canal since
1914
 1977- U.S. promised
to turn over control
of the Panama canal
to Panama on
December 1, 1999
 Congress approved
the treaty
Yielding the Panama Canal

Public opinion divided
 45% approved
 42% opposed
 The treaty did bring about a warmer
relationship with Latin America
The Collapse of Detente

Détente at a high
point when carter
took office
 Nixon and ford had
eased tensions with
the Chinese and
Soviets
 Carter’s insistence
on human rights led
to a breakdown in
relations with the
Soviets
The Collapse of Detente

Carter was alarmed at
how the Soviets treated
opposition in their own
country
 This delayed a
second round of
SALT talks
 Carter and Brezhnev
finally met in June
1979
 Signed agreement
known as SALT II
The Collapse of Detente

SALT II- put limits on
the number of
strategic weapons
and nuclear missile
launchers each side
could produce
 Senate didn’t like it

Though it put the
U.SD. At a military
disadvantage
The Collapse of Detente

December 1979Soviets invade
Afghanistan
 Carter refused to
fight for the passage
of SALT II in the
Senate as a
consequence
 The treaty died
Triumph and Crisis in the Middle
East

U.S. became very
conscious of troubles
in the Middle East

Ethnic, religious,
and economic
conflict

Source of Carter’s
greatest
achievement and
worst defeat
Camp David Accords

Egyptian PresidentAnwar el-Sadat and
Menachem Begin
meet at Camp David
 Carter helped forge
a peace between the
2 nations
 First break in MidEast hostilities since
1948
Camp David Accords

Summer 1978- After
13 days of
negotiations- the 3
leaders reach the
Camp David Accords
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Would work out the
issue of self rule for
the Palestinians
End hostilities
between Israel and
Egypt
Camp David Accords

Based on these
accords


Israel would later
withdraw from the
Sinai Peninsulawhich it took from
Egypt during a war
Egypt would be the
first Arab nation to
recognize Israel’s
existence
Iran Hostage Crisis

Since 1950s- U.S.
had been aiding
Shah (king) of Iran

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We would have an
anti-communist ally
Access to Iranian oil
Iran Hostage Crisis

Shah in Trouble by 1979

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Corrupt
Dictatorial
Revolution breaks out
in 1979

Led by Muslim
religious leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini


Led rebels in
overthrowing the Shah
Established a religious
state
Based on strict
obedience to the
Qur’an

Iran Hostage Crisis

Carter allowed the
Shah to enter the
U.S. for cancer
treatment
 Angered
revolutionaries
 Took 52 hostages
 Demanded Shah be
sent back to Iran

Carter refuses
Iran Hostage Crisis

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Carter banned all trade
with Iran
Severed diplomatic
relations
Launched a failed
attempt to rescue the
hostages
Iranians collectively wet
their pants when Ronald
Reagan was elected
President

Released the hostages
on the day of Reagan’s
inauguration