SSUSH25 Key Supreme Court Cases and the US Presidents from Nixon-Bush The Last PowerPoint presentation of the semester
SSUSH25
Key Supreme Court Cases and the US Presidents from Nixon-Bush
The Last PowerPoint presentation of the semester
Supreme Court Cases of the 70’s
• Regents of UC vs. Bakke (1978) – Established the Bakke Decision
– Race could be used as a consideration in admission;
however, racial quotas is a violation of the 14th Amendment.
– Kept affirmative action legal • Affirmative action – a policy aimed to increase minority
representation in the workplace, educational institutions, social setting, and etc.
Richard Nixon
• Foreign Policy
– Détente – the utilization of diplomacy rather than intimidation to ease tensions between the US and USSR.
– Signed SALT I with the USSR.
– 1st President to recognize the Communist government of China.
– Opened trade with China.
• The Watergate Scandal – Republicans attempted to wiretap phones at the
Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building.
– Five individuals were arrested for breaking in to the building.
– Nixon did not know about that plan, but he participated in the cover-up.
(Cont’d)
• (cont’d)
– Nixon’s office recorded conversations proved that he was involved with the cover-up.
– Nixon resigned from office before being impeached by the House of Representatives and found guilty by the Senate.
Gerald Ford
• Took over Nixon’s presidency when he resigned.
• Ford pardoned Nixon.
• First president to serve as Vice President and President and never elected to either position.
Jimmy Carter
• Foreign Policy – Signed SALT II with the USSR
– Camp David Accords (1978) – a signed peace
agreement between Israel and Egypt.
– Iranian Hostage Crisis – • Iran had a revolution that forced the US friendly leader to
flee. • The US allowed the leader to come to the US • An Iranian mob stormed the US embassy and held US
citizens as hostage from Nov. 4, 1979 – January 21, 1981.
Ronald Reagan
• Most well known Conservative President
• Opposed high taxes, government spending, and many federal social programs.
• Reaganomics – an economic plan to reduce corporate taxes. It is also known as the “trickle down theory” – “trickle down theory” – let the tax cuts roll down to
the consumers from the top.
(Cont’d)
• Reagan and the USSR
– Reagan calls the USSR an “evil empire”.
– Engaged the USSR with another arms race because Reagan predicted that the economy of the USSR could not survive.
– Reagan was credited with bringing down the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the USSR.
(cont’d)
• The Iran-Contra Scandal – The US secretly sold weapons to Iran to fund
Nicaraguan rebels known as the Contras.
– The Contras opposed the pro-soviet government of Nicaragua.
– When Congress found out about the sell of arms to Iran, there was a large backlash against Reagan’s administration.
– In the end, Oliver North took the blame for the scandal. North ended up looking more like a hero fighting communism.
Bill Clinton
• NAFTA – Promoted free trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico.
– Supporters – it will cause and increase in business and jobs in the US because Canada and Mexico will demand more of our goods.
– Opponents – companies will leave the US and set up shop in other countries because it would cost less to operate the business.
(cont’d)
• Scandal and Impeachment
– Bill Clinton is the second president to be impeached.
– He was impeached for perjury (false testimony under oath).
• He lied about his involvement with Monica Lewinski
– Although he was impeached, Clinton was acquitted by the Senate.
Clinton and Congress
• Clinton, had to work closely with the Republican controlled Congress.
• There was a temporary shutdown of the government because a budget battle.
• Congress was blamed for the budget battle, and this controversy helped Clinton to be reelected in 1996 for a second term.
George W. Bush
• The Presidential Election of 2000
– George Bush vs. Al Gore
– The closest presidential election in our history
• Decided by a mere 537 votes.
– Gore won the popular vote while Bush won the most electoral college votes making Bush the winner.
(cont’d)
• 2000 Presidential Election controversy
– The election came down to Florida which had a total of 25 electoral votes.
– At first Gore conceded the election to Bush; however, he took it back because he realized that less than 1,000 votes separated the two candidates.
– Once the votes were counted and the victory was given to Bush, Gore asked for a recount.
– Voting irregularities suggested that some voters accidentally voted for a third party candidate instead of Gore.
– Eventually the Supreme Court ordered a stop on the recounts because it was dragging the election process.
– George Bush was named victorious in the 2000 Presidential Election.
(Cont’d)
• The War on Terror – Early in Bush’s presidency, the US was attacked on
9/11/01.
– Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda took responsibility for the terrorist attacks.
• Locations of the terrorist attacks
– New York City
– The Pentagon
– Pennsylvania (which could have been heading to the White House or the Capitol)
(cont’d)
• (cont’d) – Bush declared a war on terrorism
– Domestic Response
• Establishment of the Department of Homeland Security
• The PATRIOT ACT – allows government agencies to take more extreme measures in obtaining information of suspected terrorists.
(cont’d)
• Operation Enduring Freedom
– The US invades Afghanistan when to overthrow the Taliban government which provided bin Laden protection and to bring bin Laden to trial for his crimes against the US.
(cont’d)
• Operation Iraqi Freedom – The US entered Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein from
power.
– The US thought Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction in his country.
– He did not; however, we helped Iraq to overthrow a viscous dictator.
– Currently, the US is trying to help Iraq establish and maintain a democratic government.