Chapter 21 FORD AND CARTER AS PRESIDENTS

Question 1

When did Ford take the Oath?

Answer 1

Took the Oath of Office on 9th August 1974
He aimed to put Vietnam, Watergate, the riots and the spluttering economic situation behind him, draw a line under the period since Kennedys assassination

Question 2

How was Gerald Ford perceived by the public?

Answer 2

He cultivated a ‘man of the people’ image
He had a reputation for decency, integrity and fairness
Former University American Football star and Eagle Scout
Served in the navy in the Second World War

Question 3

How was Ford presented in Saturday night live?

Answer 3

1975 Chevy Chase impersonated Ford by stumbling and falling down stairs accidentally injuring himself etc

Question 4

Proof of Ford clumsiness

Answer 4

Fell down the stairs of Air Force One in 1975

Question 5

What did LBJ say about Ford

Answer 5

That Ford had played too much football without his helmet

Question 6

Quote about Ford clumsiness

Answer 6

‘Jerry Ford is so dumb he can’t fart and chew gum at the same time’

Question 7

Gerald Fords pardonning consequences

Answer 7

Ford pardoned Nixon on 8 September 1974
This decision led to outrage in the public as polls suggested more Americans wanted Nixon punished and the design disastrously affected Fords polling

Question 8

When did Carter defeat Ford ?

Answer 8

1976

Question 9

What was Carters advantage that led him to the win?

Answer 9

Carter had traveled over 50,000 miles, visited 37 sates, and delivered over 200 speeches before other candidates annoyed their candidacy

Question 10

Carter background personality

Answer 10

devout Christian and Southerner this got supporters like George Wallace
He promised an outsider’s insight and a return to morality but struggled with the economy and foreign affairs

Question 11

What were Carters first policies?

Answer 11

His first policies were designed to heal divides;
he pardoned the Vietnam-era draft resisters
ended funding for the B-1 bomber airplane
and pushed for a comprehensive consumer protection bill

Question 12

What were the cons of Carter? (3)

Answer 12

1) Carter was unwilling to use his position to win friends in Congress through the usual method of promising federal spending in certain states and districts. This left Congress unwilling to cooperate with him

2) Carter’s initial popularity with the media faded quickly as he wasn’t as charismatic as Kennedy or Reagan

3) His success were difficult for the public to understand and didn’t sound as captivating as a victory in a war or civil rights,
Energy Policy, SALT II talks and the Camp David Accords

Carters bad soundbites ??

Question 13

When and what happened during the 3mile island accident?

Answer 13

28 March 1979
Due to human and mechanical errors at the Three Mile Island nuclear generator in Pennsylvania resulted in a partial meltdown of the reactor core.
This was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, although its small radioactive releases had no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public.
The aftermath of the accident culminated in a 200,000-strong rally in New York

Question 14

Two key stories to make perceptions of Carter damaged him public image

Answer 14

In August 1979 a story about the president being attacked by a rabid began to do rounds in Washington
October 1979 Carter collapsed from heat exhaustion while jogging in full view of the national press

Question 15

How many pieces of legislation did Carter pass

Answer 15

The Carter Congress passed 29 new pieces of legislation including
3 significant anger acts
5 environmental acts
several pro business acts

Question 16

What was Carters promise to America and how was it not kept?

Answer 16

’ Ill never tell a lie, ill never tell a misleading statement, ill never betray the confidence that any of you had in me and ill never avoid a controversial issue’ administration and even his family chipped away at this moral rectitude

Question 17

Ford and social unrest

Answer 17

For the 2 years under Ford it was the quietest period for social unrest ford was blessed with some respite

Question 18

Carter and social unrest

Answer 18

Mexicans under Cesar Chavez
LGBT activists were invited to the White House in 1977 for the first official visit but in March 1980 Carter formally refused to issue an Executive order banning LGBT discrimination in federal government

Question 19

Equal credit opportunity act:

Answer 19

Ford signed it in 1974 which outlawed credit discrimination on the bases of race, color religion, national origin, sex, marital status or age.
Though it had been introduced through Nixon

Question 20

Bryan v Itasca

Answer 20

1976 Supreme Court ruled that a state did not have the right to assess a tax on the property of an indigenous American living on a reservation
this paved a way for considerable new freedoms for tribes

Question 21

Taylor v Louisianna

Answer 21

1975
The Supreme Court ruled that excluding women from the jury pool was illegal because it violates a persons rights to a fair trial

Question 22

Betty Ford

Answer 22

Betty Ford clinic for treatment of drug addiction
Had approval ratings of 75% for her openness about drug use, psychiatric treatment and premarital sex

Question 23

What did Carter pass in 1978

Answer 23

Pregnancy discrimination Act,
discrimnation on the basis of employment as a pregnant women was illegal

Question 24

Marital RAPE

Answer 24

Due to feminist activism, the first marital rape law was enacted in South Dakota in 1975 however it took until 1993 for marital rape to become a crime in all 50 states

Question 25

What was the significance of the perception of political corruption

Answer 25

Nixon Watergate and Spiro
But also Teddy Kennedy for his actions of the death of a young women Mary Jo Kopechne in Massachueses in 1969
Result of faith in politicians was shaken
For both Ford and Carter these perceptions effected their poll ratings

Question 26

Corruption under Ford

Answer 26

• Pardoning Richard Nixon tainted Ford presidency
  -Church Committee revealed that the CIA had not been honest about their interventions oversea to the Americans since its creation
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Question 27

What did the Pardoning of Nixon lead too

Answer 27

It lead to substantial democratic gains in 1974 midterm congressional elections giving them a 291 to 144 advantage in the House of reps and 61-39 advantage in senate

Question 28

Corruption under Carter

Answer 28

-Bert Lance role of Office Management and Budget Director was fired a year into administration when he was connected to some suspicious banking practices in Georgia, (despite being found not guilty this tainted the impression of the Carter Executive).
-Hamilton Jordan Carters young chief of Staff, rumors about him doing cocaine even though this was proved false accusations were hard to shake
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Question 29

Due to corruption what happened to voting of midterm elections

Answer 29

1974 and 1980 voter turnout in the midterm elections hit a 30 year- low

Question 30

Carter humiliation form sister

Answer 30

Ruth Carter Stapelton was pictured in public with Larry Flynt the owner of the pornographic magazine Hustler

Question 31

Carter humiliation from brother

Answer 31

Billy Carter younger brother
Marketed his own brand of beer ‘Billy Beer’ and had received a sum of 250,000 for an unspecified reason from the Libyan government after visiting the country three times in 1978 and 79 leading to senate investigation dubbed ‘Billygate’