Introduction and Assignment / Week 14

The Final Examination is now viewable. 
Click on this link in order to view it.
Read it carefully. If you have a question about it,
let me know sooner rather than later. 

Note the deadline for the Final Examination.

 

photo of nixon just before his speech to the nation on why he's handing over the tapes subpoened by Congress
President Richard Nixon just before announcing his surrender of the 
tapes that will eventually lead to his resignation in Watergate.
What was in these tapes? 

(public domain)

 

It's good to have you here.

Our chapter this week is Chapter 30 in our OpenStax textbook -- on the Seventies. Please read it before tackling the rest of the content items in this module. For each assignment in this module, note its deadline and read its instructions carefully.

I strongly recommend that, each week, you begin your journey into that week's module sequentially -- item by item. They are all assigned. Content items may contain links that require that you visit another page in our class or a website. They may require that you watch a video or read a primary source.

It is important, therefore, that you visit each content item and make yourself aware of the work ahead and what it requires.

If you wish to get a "feel" for the work ahead in each module, nothing stops you, of course, from quickly clicking through the content items to note what lies ahead. When you are ready to begin the module in earnest, however, move through it in sequence and take in the content. 

Key Questions for This Week

  1. What does the term "identity politics" mean and how does the concept relate to the seventies in the U.S.?
  2. In what ways were Americans 'fractured' and 'divided' at this time (1968-1980)?
  3. In what way was the Vietnam War leading the nation into a downward spiral? How was the war concluded? At what cost?
  4. What were the causes of Watergate, and how did Watergate affect the nation?
  5. What were some of the presidential objectives of Jimmy Carter? Did he achieve them? Why or why not?


Overview

In our last module we looked at the 1960s, which both carried forward some of our earlier themes (civil rights, the cold war) and broke entirely new ground. The arrival of the Kennedys in 1961 seemed to signal a new age of youth, optimism, and confidence. But his program, the New Frontier was cut short by an assassin's bullet in Daley Plaza, Dallas. Without missing a beat, Lyndon Johnson pushed his Great Society programs, such as investments in education, the arts, and a commitment to civil rights. But the civil rights leaders did not wait for executive aid: CORE, SCLC, and SNCC (look them up!) were instrumental in forging new paths and achieved unprecedented successes. Progress in civil rights was also achieved by other groups, especially Mexican Americans and immigrants. 

In this module we focus on the Seventies -- a time of cultural fractures, political crisis, and economic stagnancy. Identity politics came to the fore -- the tendency to identify less as a larger group ('Americans') than as a sub-group fighting for rights and freedoms (such as gays, African Americans, Native Peoples, women). Supported  by a new coalition of blue-collar working class Americans and moderate southerners, Richard Nixon pushed through many measures focused on inflation, unemployment, and foreign affairs. A key issue was the Vietnam War, which Nixon wound down in the face of bitter anti-war protests. 

After winning re-election in 1972 by a landslide, Nixon saw himself entangled in Watergate -- an event that had far-reaching consequences for the nation. After Nixon resigned from office -- the only president that has done so -- his vice president held office. By 1976, a new president -- Jimmy Carter -- began his term intent on improving the economy through deregulation and bringing peace to the Middle East. But very soon his efforts were stalemated, not least by the taking of U.S. hostages in Iran by Iranian revolutionaries led by Ayatollah Khomeini. 

The Vietnam War, Watergate, the Energy Crisis, the Iranian Hostage Crisis: had the nation reached its limit as a Great Power? Many wondered. 

Could it once again "make itself great again" (to quote a recent president)? 

We will find out in our next module.

 

Important Tip