APUSH Chapter 42
Environmental Problems Clouded the Country's Future
-Coal-fired electrical energy plants produced acid rain and helped greenhouse effect. -Unsolved problem of radioactive waste disposal stopped the making of nuclear power plants. -The planet was being drained of oil and oil spills showed the danger behind oil exploration/transportation.
More Opportunities For American
-Opportunities in outer space and inner-city streets -Artist's easel and the musician's concert hall -At the inventor's bench and the scientist's laboratory The unending quest for social justice, individual fulfillment, international peace
Alternative Fuel Sources Were Looked For
-Solar powers and wind mills. -Methane fuel. -Electric "hybrid" cars. -The pursuit of an affordable hydrogen fuel cell. -Energy conservation remained another crucial, but elusive strategy.
Causes of the Widening Income Gap
-Tax and fiscal policies of the Reagan and both Bush presidents. -Intensifying global economic competition. -Shrinkage of high-paying manufacturing jobs for semiskilled/unskilled workers. -Decline of unions. -Economic rewards to those of higher education. -Growth of part time and temporary work. -Increase of low-skilled immigrants. -Tendency of educated, working men and woman marriages, creating households with high incomes.
Problems in Modern America
American spirit pulsed with vitality in the early 21st century, but bug problems continued: -Women still fell short of 1st class citizenship. -US society also wanted to find ways to adapt back to the traditional family, but w/ the new realities of women's work outside the home. -Full equality was till an elusive dream for some races. -Powerful foreign competitors threatened the US economic status -The alarmingly unequal distribution of wealth and income threatened to turn America into a society of haves and have-nots, mocking the very ideals of democracy.
WWII Baby Boomers
As they began to retire the Unfunded Liability (the difference between what the gov't promised to pay to the elderly and the taxes it expected to take in) was about $7 trillion, a number that might destroy US if new reforms weren't adopted. Pressures mounted: -to persuade older Americans to work longer -to invest the current Social Security surplus in equalities and bonds to meet future obligations. -to privatize a portion of the Social Security to younger people who wanted to invest some of their pay-roll taxes into individual retirements accounts.
Nuclear Family Was Suffering in Modern America
By 1990s, one out of every two marriages ended in divorce. 7x more children were affected by divorce compared to the beginning of the decade. Kids who commuted between parents was common ground.
Family Leave Bill (1993)
Congress passed this bill mandating job protection for working fathers as well as mothers who needed to take time off from work for family reasons.
Americans Were Better Educated
Despite the mind-sapping chatter of the "boob tube," Americans in the early 21st century read more, listened to more music, and were better educated than ever before. Colleges awarded some 2.5 million degrees in 2004. 1 in 4 25-34 year old age group was a 4 year college graduate. This spurt of educated people raised the economy. What Americans read said much about the state of US society.
Plus Side to Immigration
Immigrants took jobs that Americans didn't want. Infusion of young immigrants and their offspring counter-balanced the overwhelming rate of an aging population.
New High Tech Economy
In the Spring of 2000, the stock market began its biggest slide since WWII. By 2003, the market has lost $6 trillion in value. American's pension plans shrank to 1/3 more. Recent retirees scrambled to get jobs and offset their pension losses which were tied to the stock market. This showed that Americans were still scarcely immune to risk, error, scandal, and the ups-and-downs of the business cycle.
"Human Genome Project"
It established the DNA sequence of the 30 thousand human genes, helping create radical new medical therapies.
U.S. Standard of Living
It was high compared to the rest of human kind. Median household income in 2002 was $42,000.
Information Age Increased
Microsoft Corp. and the internet brought about the communications revolution. Entrepreneurs led hey way to making the Internet a 21st century mall, library, and shopping center. Speed and efficiency of new communications tools threatened to wipe out other jobs.
New Immigration to America
Nearly 1 million per year from 1980s up to 2000s. Contradicting history, Europe provided few compared to Asia/Latin America. New immigrants came for many of the same reasons as the old... -they left countries where population was increasing rapidly -where agricultural industrial revolutions were shaking people loose of old habits of life -they came in search of jobs and economic opportunities Some came with skills and even professional degrees and found their way into middle-class jobs. The southwest felt immigration the hardest, since Mexican migrants came heavily from there. By the turn of the century, Latinos made up nearly 1/3 of the population in California, Arizona, and Texas, and nearly 40% in New Mexico. Latinos succeeded in making the south west a bi-cultural region by holding onto to their culture by strength in numbers, compared to most immigrants whom had to conform. Plus, it did help to have their 'mothering country" right next door.
Women Were Affected By the Great Economic Changes of the Late 20th Century
Over five decades, women steadily increased their presence in the work place. By 1990s, nearly half of all workers were women. Most surprising was the upsurge of employment in mothers. By 1990s, a majority of women with kids as young as one were working.
Aging Population
People born in 2000 could anticipate living to an average 70 years. Miraculous medical advances lengthened and strengthened lives. Longer lives = more older people. 1 American in 8 was over 65 years of age in 2000. This aging of population raised a slew of economic, social, and political questions. Old people formed a potent electoral bloc that aggressively lobbied for gov't favors and achieved real gains for senior citizens. The share of GNP spent on health care for people over 65 more than doubled. The more payments to healthcare, hurt education, thus making social and economic problems further down the road. The old are getting helped, but the young are being punished for it.
Ethnic Pride
People wanted to still keep their identity and culture (eg Latinos and Asians). The old idea of a "melting pot" turned into a colorful "salad bowl".
Scientific Research Propelled the Economy
Researchers unlocked the secrets of molecular genetics (1950s). They developed new strains of high yielding, pest/weather resistant crops. They sought to cure hereditary diseases. The movement started to fix genetic mutations.
Welfare Reform Bill (1996)
Restricted access to social services and required able-bodied welfare recipients to find work. This further weakened the financial footing of many impoverished families.
Black Communities
Single women headed about 43% of black families in 2002, 3 times more than whites. In 2002, 52% of blacks and only 21% of whites lived in central cities. Blacks who benefited form the 60s Civil Rights Movement left to the suburbs with whites leaving the poorest of the poor in the old ghettos. It seemed clear that many fatherless, impoverished Black kids seemed plagued by educational handicaps which were difficult to overcome. Some segments of Black communities did prosper after the Civil Rights Movement (50s, 60s), although they still had a long trek ahead until they got equality. By 2002, 33% of black families had a $50,000 income (= middle class). Blacks also improved in politics. By the early 21st century, blacks had dramatically advanced into higher education.
Social Security for Senior Citizens
Social security was a fiscal strain on the economy. At the beginning of the creation of Social Security, a small majority depended on it. But by now, it has increased, and now workers' Social Security is actually being funded to the senior citizens. WHY? The ratio of active workers to retirees had dropped so low, that drastic adjustments were necessary. Worsened further, when med care for seniors rose out of their price range.
Latinos
Thanks to their increasing immigration and high birthrate they were becoming an increasingly important minority. By 2003, the US was home to about 39 million of them. (26 million Mexican Americans, 3 million Puerto Ricans, and 1 million Cubans). Flexing political powers, Latinos elected mayors of Miami, Denver, and San Antonio. Latino influence seemed likely to grow. They became the nation's largest ethnic minority.
People Began Living in the Suburbs
The nation's brief "urban age" lasted for only a little less than 7 decades and with it, Americans noticed a new form of isolationism. Some affluent suburban neighborhoods stayed secluded, by staying locked in "gated communities". By the first decade of the 21st century, big suburban rings around cities like NY, Chicago, Houston, and Washington DC had become more racially and ethically diverse. Suburbs grew faster in the West and Southwest. Builders of roads, water mains, and schools could barely keep up with the new towns sprouting up across the landscapes. Newcomers came from nearby cities and from across the nation.
Indians
The original Americans they numbered some 2.4 million in 2000 census. Half had left their reservations to live in cities. Unemployment and alcoholism had blighted reservation life. Many tribes took advantage of their special legal status of independence by opening up casinos on reservations to the public. However, discrimination and poverty proved hard to break.
Cities Grew Less Safe
The rate of violent crimes raised to its peak in the drug infested 80s, but then leveled out in the 90s. The number of violent crimes substantially dropped in many areas after 1995. None the less, murders, robberies and rapes remained common in cities and rural areas and the suburbs.
Rich Got Richer and Poor Got Poorer
The richest 20% in 2001 raked in nearly half the nation's income while the poorest 20% got a mere 4%.
Asian Americans
They made great strides. By the 1980s, they were America's fastest-growing minority and their numbers reached about 12 million by 2003. Citizens of Asian ancestry were now counted among the most prosperous. In 2003, the average Asian household was 25% better off than that of the average white household.
Traditional Families Were Falling Apart at an Alarming Rate
They were also increasingly slow to form in the first place. The proportion of adults living alone tripled in the 4 decades after 1950s. In 1990s, 1/3 of women age 25 - 29 had never married. Every forth child in US was growing up in a household that lacked two parents. The reason for this was -the pauperization of many women and children (single parent income = HARD) -Single parent hood was the #1 cause for the reason behind poverty
Racial and Ethnic Tensions
This also exacerbated the problems of American Cities. 1992 case of a mostly white jury exonerating white cops who had been recorded beating a black suspect cause riots in LA. These riots testified to black skepticism about the US system of justice.
Nation's Classrooms
This area became the heated area for debate. Multiculturalists attacked traditional curriculum and advocated a greater focus on achievements of blacks, Latinos, Asians, Indians. In defense, critics said that studies on ethnic differences would destroy American values. Census Bureau further advocated the debate when in 2000 it allowed respondents to identify themselves w/ more than one of the six categories: black, white, Latino, american Indian, Asian, or native Hawaiian.
Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986)
This attempted to choke off illegal entry by penalizing employers of the undocumented aliens and by granting amnesty of those already here.
Anti-Immigration Sentiment
This flared (a lot in CA) in the wake of economic recession in the early 1990s. CA voters approved a ballot initiative that attempted to deny benefits, including education, to illegal immigrants (later struck down by courts). CA then passed another law in 1998 which put an end to bilingual teaching in state schools.
Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC0)
This was headed by Cesar Chavez and it succeeded in making working conditions better for Chicano "stoop laborers" who followed the planting cycle of the American West.
OJ Simpson Case
Three years later, in LA, a televised showing of OJ Simpson's murder trial fed white disillusionment w/ the state of race relations. After months of testimony, it looked like OJ was guilty, but was acquitted due to the fact some white cops had been shown to harbor racist sentiments. In a a later civil trail, another jury unanimously found Simpson liable for the "wrongful deaths" of his former wife and another victim. The Simpson verdicts revealed the huge gap between white and black America (whites = guilty, blacks = 1st verdict stands).
Feminists Remained Frustrated
Women still got lower wages. They were concentrated in few low-prestige, low-paying occupations.
Stem Cell Research
Zygotes or fertilized human eggs offered possible cures for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The Bush administration believed that this research was killing people in the form of a human fetus. Bush said a fetus is still a human life, despite its small size, and experimenting and destroying it therefore is wrong. For the reason, he limited government funding for stem cell research.
