us_ch15_lesson4

=**What Made America**= Throughout the course we studied various changes throughout history that changed America from the intentions of the Founders. This section will give you a quick review of how America changed from 1850 to the Present. The following overview will take you through American history pointing out the political, social, and economic aspects of the time period.


 * A House Divided (1848-1860):**
 * __Political__: By 1848, the United States had reached the Pacific. Manifest Destiny was the belief held by Americans in the 1840s that Americans had the right to move west and saw America as a continent-wide nation. President James Polk led America into war with Mexico and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo brought in the Mexican Cession (California, Utah Territory, and New Mexico Territory). In addition, gold was discovered in California triggering the 1849 Gold Rush was greatly increased western expansion. Also, 1848 saw the election of Mexican War hero General Zachary Taylor. Everything seemed wonderful for America...the house...but it was dividing over a major issue...slavery. Everytime a new territory was purchased or population increased enough in a territory to become a state, Congress and the American people debated over the spread of slavery. A long time Congressman Henry Clay worked on a compromise on the slavery issue - Compromise of 1850. President Taylor, who planned to veto most of it, mysteriously died. New President Millard Fillmore signed the parts into law. The major issue over the compromise was the Fugitive Slave Act that said runaway slaves had to be returned. In the North, there would be a rise of abolitionists - those who wanted to end slavery (not just stop the spread of slavery). The Underground Railroad intensified helping more slaves escape including runaway slave Harriet Tubman. Former slave Frederick Douglass spoke for the abolition cause. Harriet Beecher Stowe's //Uncle Tom's Cabin// show the problem for blacks. Franklin Pierce was elected president in 1852 to solve the problems, but only made it worse allowing hostilities and even bloodshed in Kansas after Stephen Douglas pushed to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act to organize the territory for a railroad and allow the people there to decide on slavery (the territory was already free from slavery since north of the 1820 Missouri Compromise line). James Buchanan was elected in 1856, but also failed to quell the situation by endorsing the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision that slaves could be kept as slaves even if taken to free territory. In his failed attempt to defeat Stephen Douglas for the Illinois Senate in 1858, Abraham Lincoln, of the new Republican Party - party formed to end slavery - said "//a house divided against itself cannot stand//." He would win the presidency in 1860 and the South felt slavery was rapidly coming to an end, so they seceded from the Union...the house (nation) was divided.

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 * __Social__: The nation was much less connected in the 1850s compared to today. News was found out by word of mouth or newspapers. The South had their justifications for slavery (claimed to be converting the slaves to Christianity and others believed the Northern cities were the ones practicing slavery. Christian churches in the North were the first to form anti-slavery groups and help slaves escape on the Underground Railroad (the Quakers began this). The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival and an increase in church attendance at the time. Immigration was increasing with the Irish and Germans migrating to the east coast and the Chinese to the west coast. Entertainment included folk songs,
 * __Economic__: The major industry was textiles in the North with the invention of the sewing machine. Agriculture was the main way of life in the South mostly with plantations (cotton and tobacco). Railroads were replacing canals and wagons as the fastest and cheapest mode of transportation and shipping.


 * The Civil War (1861-1865):**
 * __Political__: With Abraham Lincoln (R) having won the 1860 election, the South seceded from the Union. Lincoln's election was a breakdown of the party system devised by Martin Van Buren. Van Buren set up the Democrat Party structure to use the spoils system (offering government jobs for support) to elect a person with Souther principles even if the leader is from the North. Lincoln was a Northern man with Northern principles. The North under President Abraham Lincoln fought to preserve the Union, the republic formed by our Founding Fathers against the South under President Jefferson Davis, which formed the Confederacy to keep slavery. Shots were first fired at Fort Sumter (SC) when Lincoln tried to resupply the fort. The South won early key battle at Bull Run, but the Union won at Antietam allowing the freeing of the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) and at Vicksburg (got control of the Mississippi River) and Gettysburg (overall turning point) before Grant forced Lee to surrender at Appomattox.


 * __Social__: The war consumed aspects of society as men volunteered to fight...in the North fought to end slavery, preserve the Union, or simply to serve their country...in the South, it was a fight for their way of life, which included slavery. Lincoln was a hated man in the South and didn't have complete support in the North as many were anti-war especially when it went on year after year with the South winning the major battles. Religious principles getting Americans especially President Lincoln who prayed often about the nation. After the war, many in the South formulated the Lost Cause explanation of their cause - that it wasn't over slavery, but rather states' rights. In reality, the Confederacy aimed to keep slavery.


 * __Economic__: The war was the major part of the economy as factories produced war goods/supplies. Railroads were needed to transport soldiers and supplies. America was still mostly agricultural. Laws would be passed to open frontierland for more agriculture. After the war, the Southern economy was devastated. Slave labor was a major part of the South, but after the war the free market system would have to be installed in the South like the North...without slavery.


 * Reconstruction Era (1865-1876):**
 * __Political__: The Congress was controlled by Republicans and the new President (Lincoln was assassinated) was Democrat Andrew Johnson. The Republicans (also called Radical Republicans) wanted to punish the South and ensure the former slaves - freemen - had rights whereas Johnson wanted a peaceful Reconstruction. He was impeached over his disagreement with the Congress, but not removed. The 13th amendment banned slavery, the 14th amendment gave blacks citizenship, and the 15th amendment gave blacks the right to vote. The Freedmen's Bureau was a government agency set up in the South to ensure rights of former slaves. A Civil Rights Act (1875) under President Grant passed, but wasn't strongly enforced after President Grant. Soldiers would have to be taken from the South to fight Native Americans in the west - not enough soldiers left in the South to enforce civil rights.


 * __Social__: The South was committed to its way of life and looked to keep a legalized form of slavery with the Black Codes, which later because Jim Crow Laws that allowed discrimination and segregation of blacks in the South. As corruption grew in federal politics, Northerners became less willing to support Reconstruction in the South as "Redeemer" Democrats in the South looked to push, pass, and enforce Jim Crow Laws. Telegraph was the main form of communication. Boomtowns developed in the west due to new industries. Ranching was a major way of life in the West as cowboys went on cattle drives to rail towns to be sent to slaughterhouses.


 * __Economic__: The Panic of 1873 was a depression that helped Southern Democrats take control in some Southern state governments. These new state governments had no intentions of enforcing federal civil rights laws. The West was opened by the railroads in this era as railroad stations became the hub of communities. Telegraph offices opened near stations. Time zones formed due to railroad expansion. Railroads opened other industries - mining, ranching, farming, and logging. Hydraulic mining was a new method of mining that improved the efficiency. The Bessemer Process burned impurities out of iron to make strong steel. The Industrial Revolution was beginnig with Edison (electricity), Carnegie (steel), Rockefeller (oil), Morgan (finance), and Vanderbilt (railroads).
 * Sinews of Democracy (1876-1896):**
 * __Political__: Reconstruction was over and the spoils system and civil service reform was becoming a new political issue. Another major issue was the issue of coining silver. Coining silver would help farmers since prices would increase, but coining silver would lead to overall inflation - all prices increasing. The other major issue was the tariff issue - whether or not to put a high tariff on imports. On the one hand, it could help protect American-made goods, but on the other hand it would hinder American trade overseas. The assassination of James Garfield but a man upset that he didn't get a government office job showed the need for civil service reform. The Pendleton Act was civil service reform and ended the spoils system - government jobs now have to be based on merit. However, this gave rise to major interest groups with major money to donate to campaigns today. Instead of a few thousand jobs being given to supporters, large interest groups with millions of dollars help candidates campaign and in return candidates are expected to support what the interest group wants.


 * __Social__: Reconstruction ended with soldiers being removed from the South, but the Jim Crow era was in the South to stay. The standard of living increased for everyone (not just business owners), wages increased, and prices went down. There was poverty and wealth and a middle class but altogether America was the land of opportunity. Unions formed and often battled business owners with strikes. Violence was a common tactic of early unions. Immigration increased through Ellis Island (NYC) and Angel Island (San Francisco). Cities began to develop water and sewage systems, which was important for the growth and modernization of cities. Ragtime music became the major music of the era.


 * __Economic__: Business and industry grew from the Industrial Revolution. With American going from agricultural to industrial, economics transitioned. Labor unions also formed as workers increased in factories. This was the era of the major Industrial Revolution with Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie. There was a laissez-faire approach to business, which means "hands off" in terms of government staying out of the way of the growth of business. As a result, the hard work of entrepreneurs led to the growth of business, industrial employment, and the creation of new goods at affordable prices, which expanded the entire U.S. economy. Fabian socialism was developing that urged a gradual movement towards socialism by little by little increasing government control of economics.


 * Building America into a World Power (1896-1912):**
 * __Political__: Political issues were mainly the tariff and silver issues. President McKinley expanded the U.S. overseas optaining Hawaii and victory in the Spanish-American War brought in new territories. Theodore Roosevelt led the Rough Riders in the war and gained fame. He would become President and begin the Progressive Era. TR developed the "Big Stick" Policy in foreign affairs.


 * __Social__: Progressives were those that believed that every problem had a solution that the government could solve. Progressives advocated an increased role of the government. Muckrakers were writers who tried to expose scandal (sometimes a real societal problem, other times a biased smear on someone or something despised - like business). Booker T. Washington set up Tuskegee Institute to teach blacks skills as a way for blacks to pull themselves out of a bad situation. W.E.B. du Bois began a group that formed the NAACP. Du Bois eventually turned to socialism, which later became part of Progressivism. TR began conservation movements in terms of land and natural resources - believed in wise use of resources unlike preservationists like John Muir who began the Sierra Club and wanted no use of resources. Ragtime was still the main music form. Motion pictures were developing in the 1900s.


 * __Economic__: President Roosevelt (TR) became known as a trustbuster going after businesses that violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Child labor laws passed. Laws also passed regulated the food, drug, and meat industries. Automobiles were being manufactured in this time period. There was still incentive to be a hard worker and earn wealth, but now the government was becoming more involved. There would be a depression, the Panic of 1907, which like 1893 was bailed out by J.P. Morgan.


 * World War I and Internationalism (1912-1920):**
 * __Political__: Woodrow Wilson became president and began expanding the role of government. Wilson was a Progressive. He approved the income tax amendment to the Constitution and America began taxing what people earned. World War I took most of America's political time as the U.S. got involved after the war was already being fought after the Zimmerman Telegram and Germany's announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare with their U-boats. Wilson's Fourteen Points would be a plan for peace, but he ended up agreeing with the harshness of the Treaty of Versailles in order to establish the League of Nations (which the U.S. never joined).


 * __Social__: President Wilson was a racist and any progress blacks were making were roled back under him as he resegregated the military and government offices. Major league baseball grew as America's national pasttime with Babe Ruth. The 18th Amendment (Prohibition) passed, but wasn't efficiently enforced and so it appeared to be a failure. The 19th Amendment passed which ensured women's right to vote. Progressives began the eugenics movement in this time period, or a study of race. Margaret Sanger developed birth control. She was a believer in eugenics and wanted to use birth control to keep blacks and poor citizens from reproducing (1920s version of today's abortion). Sanger's work began Planned Parenthood. The 1900s was the decade of ballroom dancing.


 * __Economic__: Henry Ford would revolutionize the automobile industry by using the assembly line (built the Model T or Tin Lizzie). Aviation also expanded after the Wright Brotheres had built and flew the first airplane in 1903. With the growth of Progressivism, government power began to grow and socialism grew within Progressives. The Federal Reserve, or central bank of the U.S., formed out of a secret meeting of America's financial leaders. The radio business was beginning. Overall, in the Wilson years, taxes were very high and there was little incentive to attempt to start a small business.


 * The Roaring 20s and the Great Crash (1920-1932):**
 * __Political__: America was heading for a post-WWI depression, but it was avoided by President Warren Harding. Unfortunately for Harding some major accomplishments would be overshadowed by scandals, with the most damaging being the Teapot Dome Scandal. Calvin Coolidge came into office with beliefs of small government and promoting business to help America prosper, which led to the best time of the Roaring 20s. The stock market crashed in 1929 when Herbert Hoover was in office, which triggered the Great Depression. Hoover's approach was tax and spend (opposite of Harding and Coolidge, which did not bring America out of the depression. The most damaging was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which led to high tariffs all around the world stopping world trade. Hoover also tried to tax and increase government spending on the economy. FDR came into office with the New Deal, but it was unable to bring America out of the depression.


 * __Social__: The automobile was becoming more widely available from Ford as well as competition from GM and Chrysler. The radio became a new favorite form of entertainment after Frank Conrad began the broadcasting industry in Pittsburgh and George Westinghouse (electricity industry entrepreneur) helped begin KDKA, the first radio station. Electricity made new items available such as the iron, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, washing machine, and telephones,which became the new major form of communication. Motion pictures developed sound and was also a major form of entertainment. Jazz was the major music of the time. Many Americans suffered unemployment from the Great Depression.


 * __Economic__: Taxes and government spending went down under Harding and Coolidge, which led to the Roaring 20s and incentives to try to become a successful entrepreneur. Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon was chiefly responsible for the tax and spending cuts. With businesses having incentives to grow, they began to give new benefits to workers. Unions began to decline since business had incentive to grow and therefore gave benefits to workers as incentives to grow. With the growth of the automobile, other industries grew as well.


 * Enlarging the Public Sector (1932-1940):**
 * __Political__: Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected and his New Deal was the plan to get out of the Depression, but failed due to high taxes and government spending. Several parts included the FDIC to regulate the banks, the SEC to regulate the stock market, Social Security, minimum wage, and numerous public works projects in which the government gave people money to do certain work. The New Deal increased the role and size of the government in a very big way. Politics would shift to world affairs by mid-decade and by the end of the 1930s World War II had broken out. The U.S. was neutral in the war at first, but FDR held meetings with Winston Churchill and the two even developed the Atlantic Charter, a basic statement of war aims and common principles. FDR said the U.S. would be the "Arsenal for Democracy."


 * __Social__: Many Americans were suffering from high unemployment and became reliant on the government with FDR's New Deal. Social Security became a new source of government reliance as citizens would now rely on Social Security instead of relying on themselves to set up their own retirement. Radio and music remained the major forms of entertainment. Swing music was developing out of jazz. For African-Americans, Marian Anderson broke the color barrier for singing concerts and Jesse Owens won gold medals at the Olympics.


 * __Economic__: FDR's New Deal would increase the power of the government over business. One of the backers of many of its policies was Stuart Chase, a Fabian Socialist who wrote //A New Deal//, which is how it got its name. New Deal policies were aimed at redistribution of wealth and it failed to revive the economy. The New Deal was the start of the Keynesian approach to economics of high government spending, even running deficits, to spend on the economy.


 * America and World War II (1941-1945):**
 * __Political__: The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the United States was brought into World War II. They achieved surprise and crippled the Pacific Fleet, but missed the aircraft carriers (not at port) and the onshore oil facilities. The government gained support for the war at home through propaganda. The Allies adopted the Germany First Strategy to focus first on Nazi Germany under Adolph Hitler since he was pursuing an atomic bomb. The Allies established control of the Atlantic, North Africa, and Italy (which was under the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini). Then, the Allies launched the D-Day invasion, which led to the defeat of the Nazis. The Big Three (FDR, Churchill, and Stalin) met at Yalta and developed the Declaration on Liberated Europe, which they agreed to restore order, relieve distress, and form representative governments in Europe. Discover of the Holocaust horrified the Allies and the Nazis in charge were put on trial for war crimes at Nuremberg. In the Pacific, the Battle of Midway was the turning point and from there General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz led the island hopping strategy clear to the dropping of the Atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.


 * __Social__: Admiral Yamamoto was correct to say he feared that all they did was "awaken the sleeping giant." Americans rationed goods as ration books and ration stamps were passed out. Americans also took part in scrap metal drives, grew Victory Gardens, and bought Liberty Bonds. FDR also increased income taxes and the government began just taking the taxes out of paychecks so people didn't have to pay the taxes later. Women took factory jobs and Rosie the Riveter became the symbol for working women during the war. Blacks fought in the war in segregated units (Tuskegee Airmen among most famous). Native Americans served as code talkers. Mexicans moved to the U.S. to farm in the Bracero Program. FDR signed Executive Order 9066, which put Japanese-Americans into Relocation Camps. Hollywood took part in helping the war at home with propaganda. Because of the Holocaust, Eugenics was discredited and became known as Social Biology. Abortion has become the modern Eugenics.


 * __Economic__: U.S. industry was vital to the war effort. American indulstry doubled the output of the entire Axis and once businesses saw that FDR wasn't going to undercut them with government policies, they began production and increased employment. Tanks, jeeps, airplanes, and pontoon bridges replaced automobiles on the assembly lines. Perhaps one of the most important parts of industry was the boats built by Andrew Jackson Higgins that enabled invasions of the beaches (the boats used on D-Day). General Eisenhower said Higgins was the most important person in winning the war. The PA steel mills were vital as well as PA was called the "Arsenal of America."


 * America's Happy Days (1946-1959):**
 * __Political__: America went right from world war to the Cold War with Stalin setting up Communist dictatorships in Eastern Europe and Winston Churchill said "an iron curtain has descended up Europe. Harry Truman committed the U.S to helping free people resist takeover by armed minorities. The Marshall Plan was an economic aid plan to help Western Europe to avoid more Communist takeovers. The Containment Policy was to stop the spread of Communism. The free nations formed NATO as defense against the Communist Bloc. Senator Joseph McCarthy went after suspected Communists in the government. His methods today have become considered ruthless, but there is evidence that there were committed Communists in the government. Truman and the Containment Policy led America into war in Korea along with the United Nations. The Communist North Koreans attacked the Republic of South Korea. Still today, the 38th parallel is the dividing line and North Korea is still an oppressive Communist nation. Dwight Eisenhower became President and presided over the economic success of the 1950s. His policies helped to build America and keep peace in the world by using the threats of nuclear war. The Domino Theory developed in terms of Communist in East Asia, which was the theory that if one nation fell to Communism in East Asia, others would too.


 * __Social__: There was a red scare, fear of the spread of Communism, and the fear of nuclear fallout from nuclear war. The Interstate Highway System developed under Eisenhower and America's highways linked the nation together. There would be a religious revival in the 1950s and "In God We Trust" was put on our money and "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance. Eisenhower supported civil rights for blacks. The 1950s saw schools desegregated in //Brown v. Board of Education// and the Civil Rights Movement begin when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Eisenhower sent troops to help the Little Rock Nine get into Little Rock, Arkansas's Central High School when the governor (Orval Faubus) blocked the entrance. The murder of Emmitt Till brought a lot more focus and attention to the movement. Overall, the 1950s would be called America's "Happy Days" due to growing affluence among almost all Americans. Suburbs grew in this decade as did planned communities called Levittowns. This decade saw an auto boom with the "muscle cars" and saw franchises develope (Ray Kroc and McDonalds and Kemmons Wilson and Holiday Inn). Television became more popular and would make one of the biggest impacts on society in history. Music was changing to toward the new Rhythm and Blues and then Rock 'n' Roll with Elvis Presley. The Space Race developed once the Soviets launched the first satellite.


 * __Economic__: Tax and spending cuts in 1946 kept America from another depression as soldiers were coming home from war. Eisenhower warned of the growing Military Industrial Complex, or the close relationship between the Defense Department and industries that get military contracts. White-collar jobs were becoming more available. Businesses had major incentives to grow and government didn't over-regulate, which allowed business to grow and unemployment to go down.


 * The Age of Upheaval (1960-1974):**
 * __Political__: World still in the midst of the Cold War. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed attempt by CIA-trained Cuban exiles to overthrow Cuban Communist dictator Fidel Castro. The Berlin Wall was built in East Germany dividing Berlin to keep Communists from going to the capitalist West Berlin. New Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was attempting to put missiles into Cuba that could hit the U.S. President John F. Kennedy was able to resolve this Cuban Missile Crisis without nuclear war. Vietnam was a growing issue. President Eisenhower had sent military advisors to Vietnam, but JFK committed the first troops. After JFK was assassinated, new President Lyndon Johnson committed the U.S. to Vietnam. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination and segregation illegal. LBJ's Great Society aimed to fight poverty. Government increased in size with spending. The Great Society included Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, as well as expansion of welfare. LBJ's limited war strategy in Vietnam prolonged the war. America was successful in stopping the Communists from taking over the South, but the war was unpopular at home and the South Vietnamese government was corrupt. Richard Nixon came into office and his strategy of Vietnamization, bringing home U.S. soldiers but supporting the South Vietnamese army with air support was working and the U.S. was able to leave successful by 1973. Nixon helped bring about detente, an easing of tensions in the Cold War. The Watergate scandal however would force Nixon to resign.


 * __Social__: The assassination of JFK was a national tragedy that all who were alive remember. The Civil Rights Movement was in full force using sit-ins and freedom rides. The assassination of Medgar Evers was a tragedy. Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. led civil disobedience movements or non-violent protests. He wrote //Letter from a Birmingham Jail//, which is the best statement of the movement's goal. His //I Have a Dream// speech is considered one of the best in history and is where he declared that we should be judged by the "content of our character" not the color of our skin. Americans (for better or worse) became much more reliant on the government with the Great Society and welfare dependancy grew in a major way with LBJ's agenda. Vietnam and the anti-war media made the public more skeptical of the government. Anti-capitalist radicals used the anti-war sentiment to make a push to bring down capitalism (Weather Underground and SDS). Free sex and drugs became part of the anti-war counterculture and began a breakdown of society's morals, as seen at Woodstock, a music festival full of rampant drug abuse. The Feminist movement began which pushed for the Equal Rights Amendment and also abortion to be legal (used the words "choice" and "women's reproductive rights" as a way to gain support - no one will support "killing an unborn baby."). The 1960s into the 1970s began to see rulings against religion such as banning school prayer and Bible readings. Television shows were considered wholesome and family oriented. Rock music was still very popular.


 * __Economic__: Business and entrepreneurship was still successful as in the 1950s. However, the growth of the environmental movement would lead to strict regulations on businesses in the later 1970s and also help lead to a recession. The U.S. auto and steel industries continued to dominate. Technology was growing as well. Anti-capitalist radical groups protested in America to try to bring down capitalism. Their use of violence made it unsuccessful, but many of the 1960s radicals got real jobs and used education and journalism as ways to promote more Progressive or liberal agenda. For example, Weather Underground member Bill Ayers went to jail for bombs in the 1960s but became a college professor and wrote textbooks.


 * Retreat and Resurrection (1974-1988):**
 * __Political__: With Nixon out, the Communists in North Vietnam reattacked the South. Congress refused Gerald Ford's request for military support and the Communists took over. The media portrayed it as a loss for the U.S. Turmoil in the Middle East led to an oil crisis. Jimmy Carter pushed wind and solar energy, but it proved not to be efficient. Nuclear energy took a hit after the meltdown at Three Mile Island, though no one was killed and it wasn't as big of a problem as once thought. Carter worked for Middle East peace with the Camp David Accords, but radical Muslims were coming to power including the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran. The Ayatollah took Americans hostage. The rescue attempt ordered by Carter failed. Ronald Reagan became president and his policies revived the economy and also led to the collapse of the USSR.


 * __Social__: Americans were hurt by the 1970s recession and oil crisis and felt powerless with the Iran Hostage Crisis. The 1970s saw major changes to the family and a breakdown of the family. With the Pill on the market, sex without consequence grew in terms of the mentality. Women waited longer before starting a family and pursued careers. Husbands and wives bought bigger homes and more expensive cars with both incomes and with those came bigger mortgages and even when children came, the wife often still had to work. This would be the start of an increase in two-income families and a decrease in single-income families. The Feminist movement successfully pushed for the legalization of abortion. As a results, abortions skyrocketted across the U.S. No fault divorce laws (another Feminist push) also led to an increase in divorces in the nation as now more older men were leaving their wives for younger women. This also led to more single-mothers and single-parent homes. The environmentalist movement had already started, sparked by Rachel Carson's book //Silent Spring//. The EPA was a government agency that would put environmental regulations on businesses. Technology was improving with microwaves and VCRs. Rock 'n' Roll was still popular, but Disco and Punk Rock were new in the 1970s. Cable TV developed from the 1970s into the 1980s. A retail revolution was growing as Sam Walton and Wal Mart grew. The real estate industry grew with Donald Trump as one of the wealthiest. Nintendo and the Sony Walkman were new. Computers were starting to go on the market. Rap and pop rock were developing.


 * __Economic__: Major recession and inflation in the 1970s. Oil crisis led to major shortages and long gas lines. The oil crisis and new EPA regulations would lead to a push for more fuel efficient cars. The new catalytic converter would cut down on emissions but could only be used on unleaded gas. Environmentalists were happy to get rid of leaded gas saying it caused pollution, but one does not get as good gas mileage using unleaded gas so one would have to use more gas. Cars lost power as well and so the 1970s saw the start of cars being made smaller with cheaper materials. However, the cars were less safe, which led to government safety regulations - seat belts, air bags, etc. Due to the environmental and then safety regulations, cars would be made smaller with cheaper materials and therefore less safe, but more expensive. Adding to the reasons for the expenses was union labor. Unions were able to get very high wages for workers...good for the workers...bad for the consumer - high prices. The steel industry also began to decline for those same reasons. Ronald Reagan's tax cuts revived the economy and led to economic success in the 1980s. The auto and steel industries were declining, but technology industries were growing especially in Silicon Valley where businesses used the integrated circuit.


 * The Moral Crossroads (1989-2008):**
 * __Political__: The Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed ending the Cold War (George H.W. Bush in office by that point). The Persian Gulf War was one of the U.S. and the U.N. after Saddam Hussein and Iraq invaded Kuwait. Bill Clinton became President, but had to deal with numerous scandals - Whitewater (land deal), Travelgate (Hillary Clinton replacing travel office with friends), Chinagate (second term issue of money for campaign coming from China), but worse of all affairs, which led to impeachment from perjury over an affair with Monica Lewinsky. The Republicans gained control of Congress after a bad first two years with Clinton (failed health care overall led by Hillary), which led to budget battles between Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich - Republicans wanted to cut spending, Clinton did not...led to government shut down. Media blamed Gingrich. In the end, Clinton agreed to balanced budgets with the Republican Congress and by the end of the 1990s, the government had a surplus. The U.S. got out of Somalia when American soldiers were killed and our enemies developed the "Mogadishu strategy" to kill enough Americans so the public demands withdrawal. The U.S. went after Slobodan Milosevic in the Balkans. Osama bin Laden launched terror attacks on the U.S. with little retaliation.


 * __Social__: Going into 1992, the public was upset with the national debt and yearly deficits as well as pork barrel spending by Congressmen. All are still problems today. The Clinton affairs symbolized an overall breakdown in the nation's moral values, which was underway since the 1970s. Media having a liberal bias grew (always had a liberal bias since TV, but starting to show bias little by little in reporting). The L.A.race riots took place after white police officers were found not guilty after the beating of Rodney King who resisted arrest when speeding and got violent with the cops. It showed that there were still tensions when it came to blacks and whites and the law. The Brady Bill began gun control laws and debates over gun control. The Drudge Report and the new Fox News Channel would grow as competitors with the liberal media and became the most reliable news sources. Technology grew with the Internet, CDs, and video games. The O.J. Simpson trial was watched by most Americans. The shootings at Columbine High School led to school safety programs.


 * __Economic__: Defense spending saw major cuts after Cold War spending was no longer needed. President Bush gave in to the Democratic Congress and increased taxes. NAFTA was started by Bush and completed by Clinton, which set up free trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It increased jobs, although some jobs did move to Canada or Mexico. Welfare reform in the 1990s - pushed by the Republican Congress and at first opposed by Clinton until polls showed the people wanted it. The digital revolution made the 1990s economy successful. The Internet grew as families were buying computers and businesses were moving into the Information Age.


 * Globalization and a World with Terrorism (2009-2017):**
 * __Political__: September 11, 2001 forever changed America when al Qaeda launched terror attacks on the U.S. The U.S. went to war in Afghanistan and removed the Taliban and in Iraq removing Saddam Hussein's regime. In both countries, insurgencies developed and kept the U.S. at war for 10 years. Islamic terrorists claiming to be at Jihad became the biggest foreign policy concern. Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region. Barack Obama became the first black president. His presidency included the massive economic stimulus that drastically increased spending and health care overhaul, which had Constitutional issues due to the individual mandate. President Obama favored the liberal view of social justice meaning he believes in higher taxes on the affluent to redistribute to the poor.


 * __Social__: Americans developed a large sense of Patriotism after 9/11. Technology continued to grow as cell phones became mainstream as well as Internet. Social networking grew with Myspace, which was replaced by Facebook. Youtube and Twitter were also famous. Rise of the TEA Party (Taxed Enough Already) pushing for balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility (not wasteful spending) of the government. This group brought awareness of the debt to the public. This group also promoted Christian values. The 2000s saw reality TV grow as well as hip hop style music. GPS navigation devices, laptop computers, DVD players, and high-definition TVs were new. The Occupy Wall Street movement grew as an anti-Capitalist movement looking to demonize those who earn wealth and push for redistribution of wealth by taxing the rich to give to the poor. The nation became very divided on issues between liberals and conservatives especially in the area of self-reliance vs. the Nanny State.


 * __Economic__: The terror attacks on 9/11 crippled the economy, but the Bush tax cuts helped to revive business. In 2008 the housing and financial markets collapsed due to subprime mortgages (loans being given to risky people who may have trouble paying the loans), which led the a recession. Bailouts of businesses and major increases in government spending through a large economic stimulus package skyrocketed the national debt. Environmentalists warned of global warming, which led to "green" initiatives. By the end of the decade into the 2010s evidence was brought out contradicting global warming to where it's become a matter of which scientific data one wants to believe. Economics were more global in the 2000s with Internet and technology giving way to multinational businesses. The U.S. was mostly a service nation rather than manufacturing.

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