Ford and Carter Domestic

Question 1

Ford image

Answer 1

decency, integrity, fairness. ‘man of the people’. Also dumb and clumsy

Question 2

Ford background

Answer 2

Uni American football star, served in navy in WWII, lawyer, member of House of Reps

Question 3

Carter image

Answer 3

devout christian, southerner, tried to make policy priorities clear, promised to never lie, lacked charisma, raised in rural Georgia with no electricity

Question 4

Carter poor media stories

Answer 4

Aug 1979 story about him being attacked by a rabbit, Oct collapsed from heat exhaustion while jogging in-front of the press

Question 5

Ford corruption

Answer 5

pardoning Nixon, Church Committee revealed CIA actions overseas, scandals of racist comments from Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, imprisoning of Otto Kerner (author of Kerner report) for bribery whilst Governor of Illinois

Question 6

1974 midterm results

Answer 6

loss of 43 Republican House seats

Question 7

Billy Carter

Answer 7

beer-bellied redneck, self-deprecating humour made him a popular talk-show guest and lecturer

Question 8

Billy Carter corruption

Answer 8

1978 him and other Georgia businessmen and legislators visited Libya. 1978 hosted a reception for Libyan ‘friendship delegation’. His sentiments were interpreted as anti-semitism. July 1980 received $220,000 loan from Libyan govt

Question 9

Carter response to Billy

Answer 9

said he hoped American public realise he has no control over what his brother says and his brother has no control over him

Question 10

Koreagate

Answer 10

30 Congressmen accused of taking bribes from South Korea to reverse Nixon’s decision to remove troops from

Question 11

inflation stats

Answer 11

July 1974 alone prices rose 3.4%
Cost of living rose at a yearly average of 8.2% 1973-83

Question 12

Unemployment stats

Answer 12

rose from 6.5% Dec 1974 to 8.9% May 1975
8.2 mil summer 1980

Question 13

Reasons for unemployment

Answer 13

machines replacing men, countries like Germany and Japan producing goods at lower prices and superior quality

Question 14

How much oil did America consume, how much imported?

Answer 14

6% of worlds population, consumed 1/3 worlds oil production. 30% imported mostly from middle east

Question 15

Cause of oil crisis

Answer 15

Support for Israel in 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries imposed oil embargo

Question 16

Impact of oil crisis

Answer 16

387% hike in price of oil
harsh winter 1976-7 natural gas shortage, forced closure of schools and factories
1979, half nations petrol stations were without fuel and those that had it were charging 50% more than previous year

Question 17

Trucker strike

Answer 17

1974 100,000 independent truckers striked demanding lower fuel prices. brought roads to a standstill for 11 days and left shops with empty shelves

Question 18

Ford attitude to poverty

Answer 18

firm believer in self-help, had no real ideas or impact on poverty and welfare

Question 19

Poverty stats

Answer 19

11.2% 1974 to 12.5% 1976
included 50% of all black female heads of households

Question 20

Number eligible for food stamps

Answer 20

18.5 mil 1976 to 20 mil 1980

Question 21

Carter poverty progress

Answer 21

little despite the $4 billion for public works in 1977 and increased federal aid

Question 22

Number of homeless in 1980

Answer 22

estimations from 200,000 to 1 million

Question 23

Reasons for increase in homelessness

Answer 23

number of institutions for mentally ill people decreased, as a result of urban renewal policies many inner city ‘skid-row’ hotels that housed exceptionally poor were demolished, rising unemployment, budget cuts, lower welfare benefits, increased use of crack cocaine in inner cities addicts used all their money on drugs

Question 24

Gender pay gap

Answer 24

Women’s wages 62% of men’s wages 1980
remained overwhelmingly dominant in low-paid jobs

Question 25

Women and poverty

Answer 25

constituted 66% of adults classified as poor, number of homeless women increased due to declining marriage rates and single mothers

Question 26

Equal Rights Amendment

Answer 26

overwhelmingly voted for in Democrat Congress 1972 but never obtained the assent of 75% states required

Question 27

Phyllis Schafly

Answer 27

most influential opponent of women’s rights ‘sweetheart of the silent majority’. Est. ‘Stop ERA’ 1972 attracted 50,000 members Claimed ERA would lead to gay marriages, women in combat, unisex toilets, the end of the nuclear family

Question 28

National Women’s Conference

Answer 28

1978 Houston Texas 20,000 feminists Schaflys counter rally drew 8,000

Question 29

Ford and Carter attitude to women’s rights

Answer 29

Betty Ford championed ERA but Ford did nothing. Carter more sensitive, appointed 2 female cabinet members and more to high-level positions than any other president. Supported ERA but many felt he should speak out more

Question 30

Women’s rights legislation Ford

Answer 30

Equal Credit Opportunity Act 1974(outlawed credit discrimination) 1975 Taylor vs Louisiana case, Supreme Court ruled excluding women from jury pool was illegal

Question 31

Women’s rights legislation Carter

Answer 31

1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act first law against marital rape enacted by South Dakota 1975

Question 32

Conservative opposition to abortion

Answer 32

National Right to Life Committee campaigned against RvW in courts, elections, streets. Highly effective fundraisers and recruiters, used mass mailings with emotive language. 70% of those contacted voted in 1978 Congressional elections

Question 33

LGBT

Answer 33

1977 14 gay and lesbian activists invited to White House. March 1980 Carter formally refused to issue and Executive Order banning anti-gay discrimination in the federal govt. Gay support wasn’t electorally advantageous

Question 34

Black pop culture

Answer 34

disco- Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer. hip hop and house developing Alex Hayley published roots 1976- hugely popular tv show 1977 wine 9 emmys

Question 35

School segregation

Answer 35

1974 8% schools in South Busing ordered in Irish-American South Boston caused riots

Question 36

Black male teenage unemployment

Answer 36

50%

Question 37

Education

Answer 37

1980 51% black children completed 4+ years high school. 69% white Black child twice and likely to drop out of school and 4x to be murdered

Question 38

Black middle class

Answer 38

31% black families middle class 1980

Question 39

Black economic standing

Answer 39

comprised 12% population 35% received food stamps 33% in poverty 43% receiving welfare 34% in subsidised housing Median income 60% of whites

Question 40

Carter Secretary of Urban development

Answer 40

African American Patricia Harris

Question 41

Black political representation

Answer 41

20 in HoR 1973-80 (rep black populations) Maynard Jackson first black mayor of Atlanta 1979 Many black mayors including in Birmingham 1979 1 in Senate