70s and 80s key terms

clean air act

1st federal regulations limiting emissions in the USA

Sandra Day O'connor

1st women appointed the supreme court. Appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981. She was considered a conservative judge at the start but became more moderate later in her career.

kent st

4 youths were killed by the Ohio National Guard troops during a war protest

3 mile incident

American nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, which leaks radioactive wast into the environment. Increases awareness of the dangers of nuclear power.

Ronald Reagan

Conservative Republican President 1981-1989. Revitalized Republican party and while in office lowered taxes, reduced social welfare, increased armed forces and named conservative judges to the court. Also improves economy and public moral but military spending and tax cuts increase federal deficit.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Leader of the Soviet Union who reformed the nation. Lead the Soviet union end of the Cold War. Oversaw the break up of the Soviet Union and its satellite states. Ended communist rule in the Soviet Union.

Chernobyl Meltdown

Nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union, which exploded and exposed most of Europe to toxic radioactive waste. Increases Americans fears of nuclear energy.

Iran Contra affair

Political scandal during the Reagan administration. Reagan officials illegally sold weapons to Iran and used profits of sales to fund anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua. Congress had prohibited funding the rebels by passing the Boland Amendment.

bombing of libya

Reagan administration orders bombing of Libya in 1986 in hopes of killing Muammar Gaddafi. Libya hated Israel and was supported by USSR. Libya had also invaded Chad which has lots of uranium used in to make nuclear weapons. Libya had also been responsible of terrorist attacks in Berlin against US soldiers.

Beint Bombing

US and french army barracks are bombed by terrorist because of US support in Israel

New Federalism

US supporting Asian allies with money/weapons instead of troops

Gerald Ford

VP under Nixon, Pres after Nixon resigns, upsets american public by pardoning Nixon. Loses election to carter

Strategic defense

a missile defense program suggested by Ronald Reagan. The program would have created space based defenses capable of intercepting missile attack. Also called "Star Wars' program is very expensive and never works

INF Treaty

agreement between USSR and USA eliminating long range nuclear missiles

Panama Canal Treaty

america agrees to turn over control of the canal by 1999. Seen as carter giving the canal away

26th amendment

changes the voting age from 21 to 18

Pentagon Papers

classified gov't history documenting the mistakes and deception by the gov't during the veitnam War. leaked to the press in 1971

Jimmy Carter

democratic president 1977-81. elected bc he is seen as a D.C. outsider. few successes including the camp david accords. presidency is remembered failing to get Iran Hostages released

detente

easing cold war tensions with diplomacy. Thawing of the cold war

Reagan Doctrine

foreign policy under Ronald Reagan giving public and secret aid to anti communist movements in africa, asia, and latin america

Environmental Protection program

government agency created to regulate and insure the environment is kept clean

SALT I

helped ease cold war tensions and lead to detente. reduced nuclear weapons in the USA and USSR

stagflation

high inflation and high unemployment

OPEC

institution created in 1960 of petroleum exporting countries. goal was to monopolize the world oil market and control prices. in 70s the organization cuts exports to the United states due to the USA supporting Israel during the Yum Kippur War. the group still controls oil prices today

Iran hostage crisis

iranian islamic fundamentalist revolutionaries take over US embassy and take american hostages for 444 days because the US refuses to return former Shah of Iran for trial

Phyllus Schlafly

lead conservative opposition to equal right amendment. believes amendment will change traditional gender roles and force women to sign up for selective services

Immigration reform and control act

legalized immigrants who had entered the country illegally before 1982

war powers act

limits the power of president by requiring them to get congresses' permission to go to war

Conservation/ New Rights

movement gains momentum in response to counterculture movement supported traditional Christian beliefs and smaller federal gov

watergate

nixons attempt to cover up his connection to burglars who had broken into Democratic National headquarters. causes nixon to be the 1st president to resign from office

fall of berlin wall

on nov 9 1989 the wall was torn down

ceaser chavez

organized the untied farmer workers union helped gain labor rights for immigrant workers

boland amendment

outlawed US aid to contras that might be used to overthrow the Nicaraguan gov

Camp David Accords

peace agreement between egypt and israel. egypt becomes 1st muslim nation to recognize the jewish state

Vietnamizantion

plan to withdrawal US troops from Vietnam while still providing funds to support the south viernamese resistance of North Vietnam and Veit Cong

clean water act

regulation is passed in response to growing concerns over pollution. calls for the end of water pollution by 1985

richard nixon

republican president 1969-1974. Domestic policy was called New Federalism.

Afghanistan invasion

soviets invade afganistan and cause cold war tensions to flare up. US secretly trains Afghan resistance fighters called the Mujahedeen who later become Taliban and Al Qaeda

Nixon Doctrine

states are given more control over how federal funds are spent in their states. increase of state rights, which had been taken away in New Deal and Great Society

reagonomics

the belief in cutting taxes on upper tax bracket and decrease gov spending. believed people would spend money from tax cut and make up for less gov spending. increases gov deficit

Roe V. Wade

the supreme court upholds the legalization of abortion in 1973