CHAPTER 15

PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH

"Peace through strength" is a phrase which suggests that military power can help preserve peace.

IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR

A scandal in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, which came to light when it was revealed that in the mid-1980s the United States secretly arranged arms sales to Iran in return for promises of Iranian assistance in securing the release of Americans held hostage in Lebanon.

BILL GATES

Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and one of the world's richest men. Through Microsoft, Gates helped spur the rise of the personal computer by providing an operating system that could run on a variety of machines.

COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT OF 1977

Community Reinvestment Act - CRA' An act of Congress enacted in 1977 with the intention of encouraging depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of surrounding communities (particularly low and moderate income neighborhoods).

GENERAL AGREEMENT OF TARIFFS AND TRADE (GATT)

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was a multilateral agreement regulating international trade. According to its preamble, its purpose was the "substantial reduction of tariffs and other trade barriers and the elimination of preferences, on a reciprocal and mutually advantageous basis."

IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS

Iran hostage crisis, in U.S. history, events following the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran by Iranian students on Nov. 4, 1979. The overthrow of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi of Iran by an Islamic revolutionary government earlier in the year had led to a steady deterioration in Iran-U.S. relations.

LIONEL SOSA

Lionel Sosa (born 1939) is a Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive.

OIL EMBARGO

On October 17, 1973, Arab oil producers declared an embargo that drastically limited the shipment of oil to the United States. These producers, members of a cartel known as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), enforced the embargo in response to the Yom Kippur War between Egypt and Israel.

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY

Phyllis Schlafly (1924- ) is a conservative activist best known for her opposition to the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment during the 1970s.

RICHARD M. NIXON

Richard Milhous Nixon was an American politician who served as the 37th President of the United States from 1969 until 1974, when he became the only U.S. president to resign from office.

RONALD REAGAN

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who was the 40th President of the United States, from 1981 to 1989.

SAM WALTON

Samuel Moore "Sam" Walton (March 29, 1918 - April 5, 1992) was an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club.

CAMP DAVID ACCORDS

The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David.

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was signed on December 28, 1973, and provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION

The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute, popularly known as a "think tank," whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional values, and a strong national defense.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

The National Park Service is an agency of the United States federal government that manages all U.S. national parks, many American national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION

The National Rifle Association of America is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun rights.

NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA)

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico designed to remove tariff barriers between the three countries.

ORGANIZATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES (OPEC)

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10-14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the Federal government of the United States which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.

WATERGATE

Watergate was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. in 1972 and President Richard Nixon's administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis.

DETENTE

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.

REAGANOMICS

the economic policies of the former US president Ronald Reagan, associated especially with the reduction of taxes and the promotion of unrestricted free-market activity.