responses to social divisions Flashcards
what was written at the time of Ford’s presidency
Time magazine wrote that a ‘time for healing’ was needed, but bitter divisions were hard to overcome.
key elements of social divisions
Poverty
Race
Womens rights
women’s inequality
By the 1970s, most women now expected to work. More women entered traditionally masculine occupations such as Medicine and law, but only received 73% of the salaries paid to professional men. Women remained overwhelmingly dominant in low-paid jobs and constituted 66% of adults classified as poor.
what act was meant to give equal rights
ERA 1973
The ERA
The democrat - controlled congress voted for the ERA in 1972. Many people opposed it
who was the single most influential opponent of women’s rights
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Nicknamed the ‘sweetheart of the Silent majority’
Established a ‘Stop ERA’ organisation in 1972 which attracted 50,000 members when 20,000 feminists met in Texas for a National Women’s Conference in 1978, Schlafy’s counter-rally drew 8000 supporters
who agreed with Phyllis Schlafly
Conservative states
what happened to the ERA
It never obtained the assent of the 75% of states required for an amendment to the Constitution even though the issue remained high on the political agenda throughout the 70s
Ford and Womens Rights
Legislation to support women was easier to pass as the majority of voters were women by 1980
Ford signed the Equal Credit Opportunity Act which outlawed credit discrimination on the basis of colour, religion, sex, marital status or age - introduced by Nixon
1975- Taylor vs Louisiana- Supreme court ruled that excluding women from a jury was illegal
Ford was pro- women’s right but his wife made more of an impact - spoke out on issues
Carter and women’s right
Carter was sensitive to women’s rights- criticised for not speaking out more
Insisted that at least one woman be considered for each cabinet post- appointed two female members and more women to high- level posts than any previous president
Supported the ERA
Passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act- 1978
Made 5 universities admit women- 300 enrolled in 1976
Shelters for victims of domestic violence were created
South Dakota first state against marital rape- 1975- 1993 completely outlawed
Carter saw the voting advantages of supporting women’s rights
reproductive rights - aborting before 1970
Before 1973, abortion was a crime in 30 states and legal in cases such as rape, incest or a threat to the womens health in 20
what began to happen to abortion by 1971
From 1971, the National Abortion Rights Action League lobbied state legislatures for the legislation of abortion
influential court case about abortion
Roe v Wade 1973
conservative opposition to abortion
Beverly LaHaye established Concerned Women for America (CWA)
Fought against the ERA and abortion
500,000 members- wanted women to stay in the home
Led to Social Conservatism in Republican politics
1976- Henry Hyde led congress to ban the use of federal funds for abortion
Roe vs Wade revitalised the Republican Party- led to a bigger turnout in 1980 to support Reagan
statement concerning poverty
In 1978, Senator Edward Kennedy said the development of a ‘permanent underclass in our society’ constituted ‘the great unmentioned problem of America today’.
anti-poverty views
The less sympathetic criticised the ‘welfare mentality’ - the way in which welfare became an accepted way of life for successive generations. Ford was a firm believer in self-help and had no real ideas or impact on poverty and welfare - Carter was expected to care and do more about poverty. But he faced several problematic demographic trends
demographic trends faced by Carter - poverty
The fastest-growing section of the American population was the elderly which necessitated increased federal government expenditure on Social Security and health care. Carter wanted to balance the federal budget and wanted to reform those government programmes without increasing federal expenditure
The continuing white flight of middle class taxpayers from the North to the Sun Belt exacerbated urban problems in poverty-stricken Northern city centres
economic recession
There was an economic recession in 1973-5, the number living below the poverty line was growing. It rose from 11.2% in 1974 to 12.5% in 1976. It included 50% of all black female heads of household. The numbers eligible for food stamps grew from 18.5m in 1976 to 20M in 1980, when the US suffered another recession.
what did Carter do for poverty
Carter made little progress on these problems, despite the allocation of $4B for public works in 1977 and increased federal aid to the poor for eg food stamps. The problem was that taxpayers did not want to subsidise the poor, Carter was a fiscal conservative who wanted to balance the budget
how much did homelessness grow by
200,000 to 1M during the 1970s
reasons why homelessness grew
- The number of institutions for mentally ill people decreased. This was because liberals campaigned successfully for inmate discharges on the grounds of their right to greater personal freedom and independence. Conservatives wanted to decrease expenditure on such institutions and were reluctant to make up for the shortfall. Many former residents ended up homeless
- Due to continuing urban renewal policies many inner city skid row hotels that housed the exceptionally poor were demolished. Former residents struggled to find alternative accommodation
- Rising unemployment led some people into depression and life on the streets. Budget cuts and lower welfare benefits restricted the welfare safety net which contributed to homelessness
- Homeless women increased because of declining marriages
- The increased use of cocaine resulted in addicts who spent all their money on drugs and could not afford or access regular living accomodations
who made the most of those in poverty
African Americans as always
