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| | == The 1970s == | | == The 1970s == |
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| − | The 1970s, or "the Seventies," is not known to be a glorious time. America's pullout from Vietnam was humiliating, the Supreme Court issued decisions that have been much criticized (like ''Roe v. Wade''), a president resigned amid a scandal (Richard Nixon), and inept president won the next election (Jimmy Carter), and the rock music was abysmal. Styles like "disco" and "bell-bottom" pants that were popular in the Seventies seem ludicrous today. Sadly, it was the decade when your teacher became a teenager. It was too early for the internet, and too late for some of the marvelous music of the 1960s. | + | The 1970s, or "the Seventies," is not known to be a glorious time. America's pullout from Vietnam was humiliating, the Supreme Court issued decisions that have been much criticized (like ''Roe v. Wade''), a president resigned amid a scandal (Richard Nixon), and inept president won the next election (Jimmy Carter), a nuclear power plant called "Three Mile Island" near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania had a meltdown (1979), and the rock music was abysmal. Styles like "disco" and "bell-bottom" pants that were popular in the Seventies seem ludicrous today. Sadly, it was the decade when your teacher became a teenager. It was too early for the internet, and too late for some of the marvelous music of the 1960s. In many ways it was a wasted decade between the Sixties and Eighties. |
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| − | Furman v. Georgia "1972: invalidates death penalties, requires high standards and guidelines before imposing the death penalty"
| + | Here are some "highlights", or perhaps "lowlights" of what happened: |
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| − | Comm. to Reelect the Pres. "1972: Pres. Nixon's reelection committee in 1972 that broke the law, caused Watergate; named ""CREEP"" by critics"
| + | *In 1972, in ''Furman v. Georgia'', the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the death penalty nationwide until states installed more difficult-to-satisfy requirements before it is imposed. For years no criminals could be executed, due to this ruling. But eventually state laws, with stricter rules, began to impose the death penalty again for the worst crimes. |
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| − | Panama Canal treaties "1977: Carter agrees to give back Panama Canal to Panama after 1999, Senate approves"
| + | *In 1972, President Nixon formed a reelection committee entitled "Committee to Reelect the President", derisively called "CREEP" by his opponents. This committee was later found to have broken the law in connection with a burglary of the other side's apartment in the Watergate building in D.C. Nixon covered up the investigation, leading to his resignation in 1973 (once the Supreme Court ordered him to turn over secret tape recordings) to avoid impeachment. |
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| − | Camp David Accords "1978: Carter gets Egypt and Israel to agree to peace, still in effect"
| + | *In 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned due to corruption charges arising from when he was previously Governor of Maryland, and Agnew was replaced by congressman Gerald Ford, who became president in 1974 when Nixon resigned. When Ford became president, he pardoned Nixon of any crimes, and this made people angry especially since Nixon's aides went to jail |
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| − | Three Mile Island "1979: Nuclear power plant's meltdown near Harrisburg, boosted anti-nuclear movement"
| + | *As the investigation into the Watergate scandal heightened, the "Saturday Night Massacre" in 1973 consisted of Nixon ordering the Attorney General to fire the special prosecutor Archibald Cox who was investigating Nixon. The Attorney General refused and resigned, and then his successor refused and resigned, and then his second successor (future Judge Robert Bork) fired Cox |
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| − | Iran hostage crisis 1979-81: Iranian fundamentalists captured US embassy since Carter helped Shah; hostages released for Reagan
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| − | Watergate 1972-74: Burglary that led to cover-up led to Nixon resigning
| + | Panama Canal treaties "1977: Carter agrees to give back Panama Canal to Panama after 1999, Senate approves" |
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| − | Spiro Agnew "1973: Nixon's VP, forced out based on corruption charges arising from when he was governor of Maryland"
| + | Camp David Accords "1978: Carter gets Egypt and Israel to agree to peace, still in effect" |
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| − | Saturday Night Massacre 1973: Nixon wants special prosecutor Cox fired; 2 resign rather than fire Cox; Robert Bork eventually fires Cox
| + | Iran hostage crisis 1979-81: Iranian fundamentalists captured US embassy since Carter helped Shah; hostages released for Reagan |
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| − | Nixon resigns "1973: Ct ordered his tapes released, and impeachment was likely, so Nixon resigned first"
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| | Gerald Ford "1973-76: Repub., only unelected President; pardoned Nixon, signed Helsinki Accords to promote rights worldwide" | | Gerald Ford "1973-76: Repub., only unelected President; pardoned Nixon, signed Helsinki Accords to promote rights worldwide" |