AP US History Review

1963-1980s
Great Society, Watergate - Reagan Years

End of the Kennedy Presidency

John F. Kennedy was elected president in the 1960 election and held office until his
assassination in 1963.

Kennedy had promised to “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship” to win the
ongoing Cold War with the Soviet Union, thus establishing the national policy to contain
communism no matter what (NAT).

Lyndon Johnson as President

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Republican from Texas, assumed the presidency
following Kennedy’s assassination, taking the Oath of Office aboard Air Force One.

LBJ and Racial Issues

In 1964, Johnson worked to win the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, banning
discrimination and segregation, outlawing bias in funding, and creating commissions to
enforce the law (POL). The Act did not however address the right to vote which then came
in 1965 with the Voting Rights Act. The number of African Americans in the government
grew significantly after this as did contracts for black businesses and improvements in
these neighborhoods. Economic situations for African Americans did not improve much,
leading to riots across the nation (CUL).
LBJ’s Ideas and the Great Society

Johnson boldly declared a “war on poverty” as he came into office, and in 1964, won
passage of a $10 billion tax reduction bill. The Economic Opportunity Act established and
provided funding for organizations to provide training and education to give better
opportunities.

LBJ stated his vision of a “Great Society,” one where there is “an end to poverty and racial
injustice” and education is fruitful, a society where people respect nature and would be
“more concerned with the quality of their goals than the quantity of their goods” (POL).

Opposition to the Great Society

This idea of the “Great Society” terrified many politicians who considered themselves “new
conservatives.” Barry Goldwater arose as a primary critic of this idea and was nominated to
run against LBJ in the 1964 Election as a strict opposition to liberalism.

Goldwater denounced the “war on poverty,” discouraged the Cold War, opposed civil rights
reforms, and pushed for the use of nukes on Cuba (POL).

Creating the Great Society

Congress expanded the “War on Poverty” and created Medicare and Medicaid to provide
healthcare and insurance. Measures were also enacted that protected endangered
species, controlled pollution, and worked to preserve nature’s beauty (GEO).

- Poverty dropped from 22% in 1960 to 13% in 1969

- African American income grew to 61% of white income, a large increase (WET)

The Great Society gave promise to the American Dream and many felt entitled to that
ideology (CUL).

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Earl Warren in Court

The Chief Justice of the day was Earl Warren, who was thought to be conservative but
turned out to be fairly liberal in his cases. Warren worked to protect those with
disadvantages and the accused.

In 1966, the Court ruled that suspects must be advised by the police that they have the
right to remain silent and have counsel during interrogation.

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Johnson and Vietnam

LBJ was faced with the difficult decision of whether to intervene in Vietnam, a conflict that
the past three presidents had pushed for, or to withdraw all troops. Worrying about a
possible World War and about his image, LBJ intensified efforts in Vietnam (WOR, POL).

LBJ ordered preparation for air strikes against the North Vietnamese and shortly after,
there was a scuffle between US destroyers and the North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin
which Johnson viewed as an act of aggression. The following Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave
Johnson the authority to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack” (WOR). In
1965, Operation Rolling Thunder saw the sustained bombing of North Vietnam which did
not result in surrender or negotiation with the North Vietnamese. By 1967, LBJ had sent
485,000 troops to fight in Vietnam.

Sentiment against the War

In 1965, U of M students and faculty led a teach-in about Vietnam. Anti-war protests on
campus arose across the nation. However, most of the nation supported the war until
1968 (CUL).

Tet Offensive

During the Vietnamese New Year in 1968, the North Vietnamese and NLF launched a huge
offensive against the South, attacking towns and the US embassy in Saigon, which the
troops repelled (WOR).

Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel

National support for the war lessened dramatically following the Tet Offensive. Prowar
Americans fell from 62% to 41% in less than two months. The number of antiwar
Americans almost doubled during this time.

On March 31, 1968, LBJ announced a halt in the bombing.

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Nixon and the War

Richard Nixon won the presidency in 1968 and planned to reduce tensions with the USSR
and China by ending the war. The Nixon Doctrine, announced in 1969, stated that the US
would be more of a helper than a military protector to Third World countries (WOR).

Discipline, discrimination, and conflict became extremely present in the army.

- Hundreds of “fragging” cases

- About 500,000 received less-than-honorable discharges
- Desertion soared

In 1968, the My Lai massacre further drowned support for the war. Nixon ordered an
incursion into Cambodia in 1970, resulting in Cambodia’s neutrality. In retaliation to the
Eastern Offensive, Nixon ordered the mining of North Vietnamese harbors and sent off
B-52 raids.

War at Home

Protests at universities and schools increased across the nation. Protest organizations rose
up in the antiwar sentiment.

Police fired into a protest at Kent State, killing four students, and a patrol guard shot into a
building at Jackson State.

The War Ends

In 1972, Kissinger announced that “peace is at hand” as a cease-fire agreement had been
reached.

- Withdrawal of all US troops

- Return of all POWs
- North Vietnamese were allowed to remain in South Vietnam

The resulting Paris Accords in 1973 ended hostilities between North Vietnam and the US.
The North Vietnamese eventually overtook the South, and many Americans wanted to put
the war behind them.

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Watergate

As of 1972, Nixon had the CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President) dig up dirt on his
opponents, financing this with millions of dollars worth of campaign contributions (POL).

Attorney General John Mitchell authorized CREEP to wiretap the telephones at the
Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex.

- The burglars were arrested

- Nixon abused his power to cover it up
- Nixon directed the CIA to halt FBI involvement

Investigating the Scandal

Federal Judge “Maximum John” Surica used threats to pressure a burglar to confess. The
Washington Post received clues and recordings provided by an informant, “Deep Throat,”
later identified as Mark Felt.

In 1973, the Senate established a committee to investigate the situation and revelations
came forth (POL).

- Hearings revealed the president’s “Enemy List”

- Illegal campaign donations
- Presidential abuse of power against opponents

On the “Saturday Night Massacre,” Nixon ordered his attorney general to fire the special
prosecutor. The attorney general refused and both the attorney general and #2 man in the
Justice Department were dismissed immediately by Nixon.

- 16 bills of impeachment were sponsored by Congress

- Over 150,000 telegrams came into the White House (CUL)

Nixon resigned from office and since Vice President Agnew pleaded guilty, Gerald Ford
assumed the presidency (POL).

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Reagan Years

After Ronald Reagan’s election, America saw a rise in conservative values and an increase in
political polarization. Democrats and Republicans debate the role of the government,
immigration policy,and environmental issues like climate change.

Reagan Revolution

Ronald Reagan's two-term revolutionary administration. His government not only brought
an end to the Cold War and the dramatic fall of Communism in Europe but also ushered in
a time of economic expansion that was previously regarded as unimaginable. The
adjustments and reforms that were implemented during his presidency led to it being
called the Reagan Revolution (POL, CUL).

Changes in the Administration

- Reagan Revolution focused on reducing the size and influence of government in

economy
- Lowered taxes and limited government intervention in Social Security, healthcare,
and education.
- Raised the minimum retirement age and increased payroll taxes.
- Three-pronged attack on liberal state
- 1) Tax Reductions
- 2) Cuts to social welfare programs
- 3) Deregulation of government and industry

Election of 1980

Former Governor of California (and Hollywood actor), Reagan campaigned on the

conservative values of the New Right,winning the presidency in 1980. With theMoral
Majority’s help, Republicans also established a majority in the Senate for the first time in
almost 30 years.

Reagan won the election because of Carter’s foreign policy disasters like the Iran Hostage
crisis. Reagan also benefited from a political realignment, especially from Southerners, and

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because he was a “political outsider.” The Moral Majority also supported Reagan’s
conservative policies and supported family values (POL).

Reagan’s Economic Platform

Nicknamed Reaganomics, his policy held that greater tax cuts for investors and
entrepreneurs would encourage saving and investment, thus producing economic benefits
that would reach every level of the economy.

Reaganomics abandoned Keynesian economics in favor of supply - side economics which

argued that tax breaks for the wealthy and businesses would “trickle down” to strengthen
the economy.

Lower taxes to accompany the reduced spending on social programs, advocate large tax
cuts to increase private investments, lower prices on consumer goods, allow investment in
commercial real estate, cut the budget for EPA, deregulate the economy (CUL, WET).

*Environment Protection Agency (EPA) = fight pollution and conserve natural resources

*Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) = Enforces laws against workplace

discrimination; created because Republican Clarence Thomas harassed citizen Anita Hill

These policies are commonly associated with supply-side economics, which political
opponents refer to as trickle-down economics (term often associated with laissez-faire
capitalism in general) or voodoo economics, and political supporters refer to as free-market
economics. Reagan's economic strategy was built on four pillars:

1) lessening the growth of government spending

2) cutting back on regulations
3) lowering the federal income tax
4) tightening the money supply to lower inflation.

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Reagan's Programs

Reagen had programs that he either would increase the funding for or he decreased them.
Welfare programs furthered by the New Deal and Great Society initiatives were cut or
significantly defunded. At the same time, in the midst of the Cold War, military funding was
drastically increased.

Social Security Amendment of 1983:

- Legislation increased Social Security payroll tax rate

- Raised retirement age from 65 to 67
- Reduced benefits for higher - income earners

Food Stamps Program Reform

- Increasing benefits for some low income families

- Simplifying eligibility requirements
- Implementing new work requirements for able bodied adults

Medicare Catastrophic Coverage of 1988

- Expanded Medicare coverage to to include more illnesses that previously had been
excluded
- Included new premium for people to help pay for this coverage (<--- law was
repealed the following year due to the opposition)

Federal Education

- Gave them more coverage and flexibility on where to spend funds

- Provided block grants to states
- Established new requirements for teacher and student assessments

Job Training Partnership Act

- provided funding for job training programs to help people acquire new skills and
find employment.

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Supreme Court

Reagen appointed 3 conservative judges,including the first female Supreme Court Justice,
that would influence decisions for decades.

Sandra Day O'Connor - Arizona state senator from 1969 to 1974, appointed to the Arizona
Court of Appeals in 1979. Reagan appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the
first female Justice of the Supreme Court.

Goal of Cold War Initiatives

SDI THE REAGAN DOCTRINE “MR.GORBACHEV, TEAR

DOWN THIS WALL”
Known as “Star Wars, ”the Reagen pledged to support
goal of the Strategic anti-communist revolution Reagan’s goal was to appeal
Defense Initiative was to with open support and to Mikhail Gorbachev to
fund and build a missile covert missions open the Berlin Wall to unify
defense system Germany

Reagan approved the invasion of Grenada to prevent the island from becoming a
Communist base in the Caribbean.

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Important Terms

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned discrimination and segregation, outlawed bias in funding, and created

commissions to enforce the law.

Great Society

LBJ’s vision of a society where there is “an end to poverty and racial injustice” and education
is fruitful, is a society where people respect nature and would be “more concerned with the
quality of their goals than the quantity of their goods.”

Warren Court

Earl Warren was thought to be conservative but turned out to be fairly liberal in his cases.
Warren worked to protect those with disadvantages and the accused.

Operation Rolling Thunder

The sustained bombing of North Vietnam which did not result in surrender or negotiation
with the North Vietnamese.

Tet Offensive

During the Vietnamese New Year in 1968, the North Vietnamese and NLF launched a huge
offensive against the South, attacking towns and the US embassy in Saigon, which the
troops repelled.

Parris Accords

In 1973, the Parris Accords ended hostilities between North Vietnam and the US.

CREEP

The Committee to Re-Elect the President was designed to dig up dirt on his opponents,
financed with millions of dollars worth of campaign contributions.

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Watergate

A case where CREEP burglars broke into the Watergate complex to wiretap telephones.
They were arrested and Nixon and others were found guilty and Nixon then resigned from
office.

Reaganomics

Reagan’s economic policy held that greater tax cuts for investors and entrepreneurs would
encourage saving and investment, thus producing economic benefits that would reach
every level of the economy.

Supply-side Economics

Referred to as trickle-down economics (a term often associated with laissez-faire capitalism

in general) or voodoo economics, and political supporters refer to it as free-market
economics.

Reagan Doctrine

Reagen pledged to support anti-communist revolution with open support and covert
missions

Essay Questions

1. In what ways were Johnson and Reagan’s approaches to the presidency similar?
2. How did the U.S. society’s view on the Vietnam War change from 1960-1973 and
what factors may have provoked this?
3. To what extent did Johnson accomplish his “Great Society?”
4. To what extent did Reagen’s policies contribute to the growth of the US economy?
5. How do Reaganomics developments back then compare to the state of the economy
today?

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