-
Stonewall Riot
began the gay activist movement for civil rights. -
Earth Day
First celebrated by the envirnomental movement in 1970 -
The “Me” Decade
coined by writer Tom Wolfe to describe Americans turning inward in reaction to problems in society -
Oil Producing and Exporting Countries ( O.P.E.C. ),
an example of a cartel ( group that controls a productThey placed an embargo on oil sales to the U.S. in 1973 to punish the U.S. for its support of Israel. -
Whip Inflation Now
Ford encouraged Americans to save more and spend less to try to bring down inflation. -
“Stagflation”
Rising prices ( inflation ) and a stagnant economy occurred together.Resulted from government deficit spending on the Vietnam War and Great Society programs as well as rising prices for natural resources ( petroleum ) -
Proposition 13
California voters led a movement to lower property taxes -
Camp David Accords
Pres. Carter’s greatest foreign policy triumph -
Moral Majority
founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell to support conservative issues. The conservative movement benefited from the support of the Religious Right of evangelical Christians. -
Apple Computer
Steve Jobs was creator and in 1984, Apple Computerlaunched the first home computer to use on-screen icons and a mouse. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
Pres. Carter’s greatest foreign policy crisis occurred in Iran when the U.S. backed Shah was overthrown in an Islamic revolution headed by the religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Revolutionaries took 52 American hostages from the U.S. Embassy and held them for 444 days. -
Supply-side economics / “trickle down”
Consisted of :Tax cuts – especially for wealthy and businesses ( to encourage investment )Cuts in social spending programs ( resisted by Democratic Congress )Increased military spending -
Deregulation
reducing government rules on business to decrease costs and increase profits -
“Yuppies”
“Young urban professionals” who typified the trend toward materialism and status. -
Space shuttle
In 1981, N.A.S.A. launched the first space shuttle, but in 1986 the Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff -
James Watt
Sec. of Interior criticized by environmentalists for opening much of the public lands for business exploitation as a consequence of deregulation -
Sandra Day O’Connor
First female Justice of the Supreme Court -
Crack
a concentrated form of cocaine, contributed to crime and the decline of inner cities -
Iran-Contra Scandal
Members of Reagan’s administration such as Colonel Oliver North secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of U.S. hostages in the Middle East. Money from the sales wasgiven to the Contras after Congress had forbiden it. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
Pres. Reagan funded an initiative to develop a system tointercept and destroy nuclear missiles. -
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD )
The federal government threatened to withhold interstate highway funding to get states to raise the drinking age to 21. -
Microsoft
Bill Gates adapted software to run on PCs, releasing its “Windows” software in 1985. It came to dominate the market place as it would license to all computer makers, unlike Apple
