HIST2020 1970s/80s Conservative Backlash

1970s/80s Conservative Backlash

We'll be discussing the conservative backlash to the social changes brought about by the 1960s movements we just examined. While some saw these changes as progress, others saw them as a devolution of society. After losing in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal also led many Americans to lose their trust in the government. These are the central issues we'll focus on this week. 

Read:

· Give Me Liberty! Ch 26 (Eric Foner, Kathleen DuVal, and Lisa McGirr,  Give Me Liberty!: An American History, Vol. 2, Seagull 7th edition (magenta cover).

Answer JUST ONE of the four (4) posted questions about  GML! Ch 26 in a 100-200 word paragraph by Wednesday.

If you cite the textbook, a video, or document in the chapter, please note the page number or video/document name in parentheses at the end of the sentence

1. What was Watergate and how did it lead to the American public's decreasing trust in the government? Use  Give Me Liberty! and this video with short video clips to answer. 

2. What was the significance of the ERA and why didn't it pass in the 1970s? Use  Give Me Liberty! and this short video to answer. 

3. Using this very entertaining 1989  music video and  Give Me Liberty!, discuss the significance of the "yuppie" in President Ronald Reagan's America. 

4. Why did groups like Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority emerge and what did they think of the changes brought about by the 1960s/70s social movements? Use  Give Me Liberty! ("the Rising Tide of Conservatism") and this  primary source on Falwell to answer.