1970s Flashcards
New Haven Black Panther trials
The panthers and the FBI both suffered damage to their reputations as a result of this 1970 trial.
Kent State shootings
After Nixon spreads the Vietnam conflict into Cambodia, protests at Kent State resulted in the shooting deaths of several students.
Hard Hat Riot
1970- 1,000 students protesting the Kent State shootings are attacked by anti-communist construction workers.
Henry Marrow
A black man violently murdered in a hate crime in 1970.
Rubén Salazar
A Mexican-American journalist killed by police in 1970. An instance of anti-Chicanoism at the time.
All in the Family
One of the most influential sitcoms, premiered in 1971. Dealt with very controversial issues.
Seabed Arms Control Treaty
Soviet Union and U.S. signed this 1971 treaty banning the placement of arms on seabeds.
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
(1971) Upheld the constitutionality of busing to achieve desegregation.
Pentagon Papers
The New York Times published this 1971 report, detailing how the U.S. had bombed Cambodia and Laos, staged coastal raids on North Vietnam, and Marine Corps attacks, none of which were reported in the mainstream media.
New York Times Co. v. United States
(1971) Upheld the legality of the publishing of the Pentagon Papers.
Jim Morrison
Lead singer of the rock band “The Doors” who died of a drug overdose.
26th Amendment
Following waves of anti-war protests, this amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
Nixon Shock
1971, President Nixon declared the prohibition of the exchange between gold & dollars.
Attica Prison riot
Most important riot of the Prisoners Rights Movement, 1971. Many die.
Vietnamization
Nixon’s Vietnam policy of forcing the brunt of the fighting on South Vietnamese troops, in an effort to bring American soldiers home.
Intel 4004
A 1971 invention of Intel which would revolutionize computer technology.
John Lennon
Known first as a member of The Beatles, then for his and his wife’s peaceful anti-protest songs.
Shirley Chisholm
First African-American congresswoman ever, she made an unsuccessful, but historic, bid for the Democratic ticket in 1972.
1972 Nixon visit to China
An extremely important conference between Pres. Nixon and Mao Zedong, the end result was open trade with China.
Angela Davis
A 1960s counterculture radical and activist who proposed communism and Marxism.
The Godfather
Considered one of the all-time greatest films, released in 1972.
Biological Weapons Convention
1972, banned the use of biological weaponry.
SALT I
Treaty signed in 1972 between the U.S. and the USSR. This agreement limited the number of missiles in each nation and led to the SALT II discussions and a slowdown of the arms race between the two countries.
White House Plumbers
Name given to the special investigations committee established along with CREEP in 1971. Its job was to stop the leaking of confidential information to the public and press.
Furman v. Georgia
(1972) The arbitrary and inconsistent methods of carrying out capital punishment make it unconstitutional, placing a moratorium on the death penalty.
Jane Fonda
American actress who aroused controversy when she was photographed while touring in North Vietnam in 1972.
Tuskegee syphilis experiment
Study examined the progression of syphilis in black men without treatment, even until 1972 when a cure became available.
Thomas Eagleton
Briefly served as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 1972 under McGovern after he stepped down following reports he had been treated for mental illness.
USS Kitty Hawk riot
A 1972 race riot which prompted congressional inquiry into the nature of race in the Navy.
United States presidential election, 1972
Nixon soundly defeats Democrat George McGovern.
Operation Linebacker II
A heavily criticized Christmas 1972 bombing of North Vietnam by America.
George Steinbrenner
Known as “The Boss,” he was a controversial sports figure who managed the New York Yankees for over thirty years.
Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite
A 1973 Elvis Presley concert that was broadcast all over the world via satellite.
Roe v. Wade
(1973) A controversial Supreme Court ruling which declared that no U.S. governments could pass a law denying a woman the right to obtain an abortion under the right to privacy of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
Paris Peace Accords
An unratified 1973 agreement to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam that was negotiated by Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ.
American Indian Movement (AIM)
A Native American advocacy group founded in 1968 with an agenda that focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty.
Wounded Knee incident
In 1973, AIM staged an armed takeover of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
Bureau of Indian Affairs building takeover
In 1972, 500 members of AIM stormed into the Washington, D.C. Bureau of Indian Affairs building and ransacked it.
Fred Hampton
African-American activist who worked for the Black Panthers in conjunction with AIM until his 1969 murder by the Chicago Police Department.
Burst of Joy
A 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of a Vietnam War veteran being reunited with his family.
John Sirica
An otherwise undistinguished federal judge who rose to national prominence in 1973 when he ordered Pres. Nixon to turn over recordings associated with Watergate.
John N. Mitchell
U.S. Attorney General until 1972, he served nineteen months in prison in 1977 in connection with Watergate. Nixon’s close personal friend, when the scandal first leaked, he was scapegoated with all the blame.
Martin Cooper
Invented the first handheld cellular phone in 1973.
H.R. Haldeman
White House Chief of Staff under Pres. Nixon who was forced to resign in 1973 in connection with Watergate.
John Ehrlichman
Counsel and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under Pres. Nixon until he resigned in 1973 in connection with Watergate.
Deep Throat
The alias of Mark Felt, an FBI Agent who leaked information about Watergate to Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
John Dean
Served as White House Council under Nixon and, during Watergate, agreed to flip against the defense in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Battle of the Sexes
A 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Spiro Agnew
The only Greek-American Vice President, he served under Nixon until he was forced to step down in 1973 in relation to income tax evasion. He was replaced by Gerald Ford.
Saturday Night Massacre
U.S. President Richard Nixon orders Attorney General Elliot Richardson to dismiss Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refuses and resigns, along with Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Solicitor General Robert Bork, third in line at the Department of Justice, then fires Cox. The event raises calls for Nixon’s impeachment.
War Powers Resolution
Congressional legislation passed in 1973 which requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action. It was passed over Pres. Nixon’s veto.
DSM-II
In 1973, gay rights activists secured a great achievement when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a disease from the DSM-II.
Endangered Species Act
1973 legislation, one of the few dozens signed into law during the 1970s. Pres. Nixon signed this law- which was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act
A law signed into effect by Pres. Nixon in 1973 in response to oil crisis, authorized the construction of an oil pipeline connecting the North Slope of Alaska to Port Valdez- ended all environmentalist legal challenges.
DOCUMERICA
A program sponsored by the EPA from 1972-1977 to gather photographic evidence of environmental concerns all over America.
1973 oil crisis
October 1973 - March 1974; in response to American support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War, OPEC nations passed an oil embargo against the United States (among other nations).
stagflation
The socio-economic period of the 70s marked by stagnation and economic inflation. Although the 1970s energy crisis was largely responsible for the global crisis, the situation was compounded by banks using excessively stimulative monetary policy to counteract the resulting recession.
G. Gordon Liddy
Chief operative of the White House Plumbers remembered for orchestrating, among other things, the breaking into of the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
Ted Bundy
An American serial killer during the 1970s.
Symbionese Liberation Army
An American left wing liberation group popular in the waning days of the counterculture movement for kidnapping and brainwashing newspaper heiress Patty Hearst.
United States v. Washington
(1974) Allowed tribes in Washington to continue fishing their half of the salmon.
Universal Product Code
A bar code system for items which began in America in 1974.
Christine Chubbuck
An American TV news reporter who committed suicide on live TV in 1974.
United States v. Nixon
(1974) The Supreme Court ruled, unanimously, that the president can’t use executive privilege to withhold evidence. This ruling lead directly to Nixon’s resignation.
The “smoking gun” tape
Nixon’s support in Congress collapses in 1974 after a tape is revealed of him discussing with Haldeman using the CIA to block an FBI inquiry into Watergate.
Inauguration of Gerald Ford
An unscheduled 1974 ceremony in which Ford became president following Nixon’s resignation (which was in response to being told he could not escape impeachment and prosecution).
Proclamation 4311
About a month after his inauguration Pres. Ford pardons Pres. Nixon for any crimes committed in relation to Watergate stirring up a mess of controversy.
The Rumble in the Jungle
A historic 1974 boxing event of George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali.
United States v. AT&T
(1974) An antitrust case which would eventually result in the breakup of the Bell System.
Milgram experiment
A social psychological experiment on the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure- the results of which were released in 1974.
Baltimore police strike
A 1974 labor action in which the police department of Baltimore went on strike-resulting in increased looting and fires in the city as well as cop discontent in other major cities.
Federal Rules of Evidence
A code of evidence law which went into effect in 1975 in response to the Nixon resignation.
Wheel of Fortune
An American television game show which premiered in 1975.
Ella T. Grasso
A Democrat in Connecticut elected in 1975, she was popularized as the first female governor elected “in her own right.”
Daylight saving time
A practice of advancing clocks during the summer which went into widespread use at earlier and earlier times of the year during the 1970s in response to the energy crisis.
The Rocky Horror Show
A 1975 musical which was received in New York City with surprising apathy, and was subsequently deemed a failure.
James Ruppert
An American murderer whose 1975 crimes shocked the country when he became responsible for the deadliest shooting inside a private residence in American history.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
An oil transport system constructed between 1974-1977 in response to the 1973 oil crisis causing a sharp increase in U.S. oil prices. Controversial amongst environmentalists.
Operation Babylift
The mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to the United States which began in 1975 when a communist victory seemed inevitable.
Fall of Saigon
In 1975, the Vietnam War ended when communist forces captured Saigon in South Vietnam- beginning reunification efforts between the two halves.
Mayaguez incident
1975- the final battle of the Vietnam War. The Khmer Rouge captured a U.S. merchant ship and 38 Americans are killed in the ensuing chaos.
Rockefeller Commission
In 1975 Pres. Ford instructed Vice President Rockefeller to head a commission to investigate wrongdoing by the CIA in response to a 1974 New York Times claim that they had conducted illegal domestic activities. The commission’s sole report touched upon certain CIA abuses.
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
1975- the first U.S.-Soviet space flight and a symbol of détente policy.
Fire Escape Collapse
A Pulitzer Prize winning 1975 photograph by Stanley Forman.
Squeaky Fromme
A Manson cult family member who attempted to assassinate Pres. Ford in 1975 over his environmental policies.
Sara Jane Moore
A Manson cult family member who in 1975, after her partner Squeaky Fromme’s attempt failed, tried to assassinate Pres. Ford.
Thrilla in Manila
1975: final boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Saturday Night Live
An American sketch comedy show which premiered in 1975 with George Carlin as the first host.
Travis Walton
A 22-year old man who garnered national attention in 1975 when he claimed to have been abducted by aliens.
Metric Conversion Act
A failed 1975 attempt by Pres. Ford to switch America to the metric system.
Karen Ann Quinlan
An important figure from the “Right to Die” controversy who was removed from her ventilator in 1976 but managed to survive for years afterwards.
1976 Republican Party presidential primaries
Incumbent Pres. Ford received a serious challenge from California governor Ronald Reagan.
Federal Election Campaign Act
A way of managing elections signed into law by Pres. Ford in 1976, creating the FEC.
Steve Jobs
Founded Apple in 1976 as a more user-friendly challenger to Windows.
Steve Wozniak
Contributed to the microcomputer revolution with his inventions during the 1970s of the Apple I and Apple II computers.
Gregg v. Georgia
(1976) Reaffirmed the constitutionality of the death penalty, ended the de facto moratorium placed by Furman v. Georgia.
David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz
Serial killer who terrorized New York City from 1976-1977.
Hotel California
An album released by the Eagles in 1976.
Rumours
The Grammy-winning album released by Fleetwood Mac in 1977.
1977 Hanafi Siege
In 1977 African-American men fron the Nation of Islam took hostages in three Washington, D.C. buildings.
Anita Bryant
Anti-gay crusader whose 1977 “Save Our Children” campaign resulted in Miami-Dade voters outstandingly voting to recede gay rights legislation. She was famously pied in 1977 leading her to fallout from anti-gay activism.
Robert Hillsborough
A gay man whose murder sparked large protests in San Francisco in 1977, and caused some discontent to grow with Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” campaign.
New York City blackout of 1977
The only New York blackout which resulted in looting and arson.
United States Department of Energy
A cabinet created by Pres. Carter in 1977.
Golden Dragon massacre
A 1977 San Francisco shooting which brought national attention to Asian gangs.
Torrijos-Carter Treaties
Two treaties signed in 1977 guaranteeing eventual handover of the Panama Canal from The U.S. to Panama.
Bat Out of Hell
1977 Album released by Meat Loaf.
Harvey Milk
San Francisco’s first openly gay politician.
Saturday Night Fever
1977 John Travolta film about the disco fad, caused kids to buy flare jeans (an updated version of bell bottoms).
Atari 2600
A video game console released in 1977 that popularized the use of more advanced video game systems.
Mormon sex in chains case
A widely reported 1977 scandal in which U.S. woman tied down and raped a British Mormon missionary.
Richard Chase
1970s serial killer known as “The Vampire of Sacramento.”
Hillside Strangler
Yet another 1970s serial killer.
Stump v. Sparkman
(1978) Supreme Court rules that judges can not be held accountable for making uninfluenced rulings, even if they are cruel and unconstitutional.
Neutron bomb
A theoretical weapon which kills people while leaving buildings unscathed, Pres. Carter stopped production in 1978.
California Proposition 13 (1978)
An Amendment to the Californian constitution that cut property taxes by 60%, thought to be a presage to the “Taxpayer Revolution.”
All Worthy Males’ extension
In 1978, the Mormon Church lifted its ban on black men.
University of California Regents v. Bakke
(1978) The Supreme Court outlaws the use of quota systems, but allows affirmative action.
Grease
Iconic 1978 film.
Love Canal
A neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York evacuated in 1978 after Pres. Carter discovered it was built on a toxic waste dump.
Susan B. Anthony dollar
A dollar coin whose minting was issued by Pres. Carter in 1978.
Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act
An economic control act signed by Pres. Carter in 1978.
Dan White
Assassin of Harvey Milk.
Briggs Initiative
A 1978 law which would’ve banned gays and lesbians from working in schools. Public opinion turned against it after Gov. Reagan and Pres. Carter spoke against it.
Jimmy Carter gay rights summit
Pres. Carter was the first executive to meet with LGBT rights activists.
John Wayne Gacy
A horrific serial killer who murdered dozens of boys and young men in the 1970s.
Brenda Spencer
Small scale 1979 school shooter who claimed she was violent because she doesn’t like Mondays.
Three Mile Island accident
A 1979 nuclear meltdown in New York which crystallized anti-nuclear safety concerns.
Jimmy Carter rabbit incident
Jimmy Carter’s 1979 attack from a swamp rabbit was fodder for his political foes.
White Night riots
In 1979 gays in San Francisco rioted upon hearing that Dan White was acquitted after murdering Harvey Milk.
Etan Patz
A young boy who went missing in 1979, sparking the missing child’s movement.
SALT II
A piece of detente legislation signed by Pres. Carter and Brezhnev in 1979.
Bill Stewart
An ABC news anchor whose 1979 murder at the hands of the Nicaraguan guard was captured on video.
The Sandinista National Liberation Front
A Nicaraguan rebel group which successfully overthrew the U.S. backed Somoza dictatorship in 1979.
Raymond Washington
The original founder of the Crips.
National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
A major 1979 march in DC, the first of many.
Greensboro massacre
The Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis shot five anti-KKK protesters to death in 1979.
Cannabis decriminalization during the 1970s
From 1970-1975 11 states decriminalized marijuana and most lowered their sentences. In 1976, a conservative parents coalition
The DEA
Founded in 1973 by Pres. Nixon to push back against the Shafer Commission, they control limiting the spread of drugs across the United States.
Shafer Commission
Bipartisan commission which recommended in 1972 that marijuana be decriminalized. Pres. Nixon rejected the recommendation.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
A parental organization founded in 1976 to push back against newly relaxed cannabis attitudes. Instrumental, in conjunction with the DEA, in changing public attitudes about marijuana.
