America Under Stress (1967-1980)

Dolores Huerta and the Farm Workers' Movement

• Dolores Huerta: school teacher turned activist.
• Met Cesar Chavez in 1962; formed the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA).
• Experienced and fought against poverty alongside farm workers.
• Key contributions:
  • Organized strikes, led picket lines, negotiated contracts
  • Oversaw the famous grape boycott
  • Achieved improvements: wages, working conditions, health coverage, restriction of pesticides (DDT banned in 1974).
  • Instrumental in passing the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act (1975).
• Recognition:
  • Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012).

LBJ and Vietnam War

• Johnson initially opposed sending troops but later opted for gradual escalation.
• North Vietnam matched U.S. escalation, leading to war weariness in the U.S.
• 1968: Johnson chose not to seek re-election; Nixon won.

Nixon's Presidency (1968-1974)

• Nixon's promises: restore national unity, assert conservative policies.
• Achievements:
  • Withdrawn troops from Vietnam
  • Improved Soviet and China relations
  • Expanded Great Society programs, Keynesian economic policies.
• Watergate Scandal:
  • Break-in at Democratic National Committee (1972)
  • Nixon’s resignation (1974)

Gerald Ford's Presidency (1974-1976)

• Became president post-Nixon’s resignation, faced a struggling economy, political cynicism.
• Pardoned Nixon; limited legislative successes; lost 1976 election to Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter's Presidency (1976-1980)

• Election promises: honesty, new moral approach.
• Struggled with economy, energy crisis, foreign policy.
• Major foreign policy events:
  • Camp David Accords (1978): Egypt-Israel peace.
  • Iranian Revolution & Hostage Crisis (1979-1981).
• Lost 1980 election to Ronald Reagan.

Vietnam War (Johnson to Nixon)

Johnson's Policies

• Refused to allow further erosion of American power (Latin America, Southeast Asia).
• Inherited Alliance for Progress (shift to political stability).
• Example: 1965, sent 22,000 troops to the Dominican Republic.

Americanization of Vietnam

• Gradual escalation, publicized incidents (e.g., Gulf of Tonkin 1964).
• Operation Rolling Thunder (1965): expanded bombing in North Vietnam.
• Search and Destroy missions, high casualty rates.

Anti-War Movement

• Initial support in 1964, but anti-war sentiment grew (college-based, broader protests).
• Draft resistance, high African American combat deaths.
• FBI/CIA countermeasures (COINTELPRO, Operation CHAOS).

The Tet Offensive (1968)

• Surprise communist attacks during Vietnamese New Year.
• US military success but psychological and political blow.
• Led to increased anti-war sentiment; Johnson began negotiations.

1968 Presidential Campaign

• Johnson’s withdrawal; RFK assassinated; Humphrey’s nomination overshadowed by protests.
• Nixon’s victory: conservative shift, inner-city conflicts, anti-war movements intensified.

Nixon’s Vietnamization

• Aim: replace US troops with South Vietnamese forces
• Renewed bombings (Cambodia, Laos), public opposition (Kent State & Jackson State killings).
• 1973: Peace agreement, North Vietnam resumed war (1975), fall of Saigon.

Nixon's Foreign Policies (1969-1974)

• Détente with China and USSR (step-back from hardcore anti-communism).
• Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)
• Controversy: Covert operations in Chile (1973 coup).

Domestic Achievements and Problems

Environmental and Social Policy

• Progressive measures: EPA, OSHA, NOAA creation
• Earth Day (1970): heightened awareness
• Banned DDT (1972), other significant environmental acts.

Economic Challenges

• Stagflation: Nixon shifted from fiscal conservatism to increased spending and price controls.
• OPEC oil embargo (1973): worsened inflation, economic downturn.

Southern Strategy and New Federalism

• Appealed to white Southerners, blue-collar workers through conservative policies.
• Courts: Nixon’s conservative appointees shifted Supreme Court dynamics.

Watergate Scandal

• Plumbers, CREEP, illegal activities
• June 1972: Watergate break-in, subsequent cover-up
• House Judiciary Committee: Impeachment process, Nixon's resignation (1974)

Gerald Ford’s Struggles

• Faced economic recession, political opposition
• Effectively continued Nixon’s foreign policy under Kissinger.
• Criticized for handling of South Vietnam’s fall, détente with Soviets.

Carter’s Approach

Domestic Policy Struggles

• Confronted high unemployment, inflation, energy crisis
• Limited government role; deregulation efforts.
• Energy policy initiatives mixed success.
• 1979, Three Mile Island accident -> decline in nuclear power support.

Foreign Policy

• Human rights focus: mixed results
• Panama Canal Treaties (1978), Middle East peace (Camp David Accords)
• SALT II agreement (1979)
• Negative impact: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Iranian Hostage Crisis

Conclusion

• Vietnam War, social movements, and a resurgence of conservatism marked 1967-1980.
• Nixon’s presidency redefined US foreign and domestic policy.
• Watergate led to a crisis of confidence; Carter’s presidency faced economic and geopolitical turmoil.
• 1980 election: Reagan’s conservative promise signaled a major political shift.

Key Historical Events to Remember

• 1968: Tet Offensive, Johnson's withdrawal, RFK assassination, Nixon’s election.
• 1972: Watergate break-in.
• 1973: Paris Peace Accords, OPEC oil embargo, Roe v. Wade decision.
• 1974: Nixon’s resignation, Ford’s presidency begins.
• 1975: Fall of Saigon.
• 1978: Camp David Accords.
• 1979: Iranian Revolution & Hostage Crisis, Three Mile Island accident, SALT II treaty.
• 1980: Carter Doctrine.