Ch.19 1970s Politics and Fashion

1970s Politics and Fashion

• The unrest of the 1960s continued into the 1970s.
• The War in Vietnam was still ongoing.
• There were protests and anti-war marches throughout the US.
• The anti-war movement continued.
• Young Americans did not think troops needed to be in Vietnam.

The Draft

• Many soldiers were drafted into the war.
• The US government starts a draft when there are not enough volunteers.
• American men must sign up when they turn 18 years old.
• It is part of living in a domestic society, a way of paying service to the country.
• When drafted, a person does not have a choice unless there is a medical excuse.
• More than 2 million mean were drafted in the Vietnam era.
• The draft encouraged young people to protest the Vietnam War.
• Other protested violence and war.
• The Peace Movement of the 1960s also attracted many young people.
• Over 58,000 US soldiers died in the war.
• Over one million Vietnamese soldiers, civilians, and residents died in the region.
• The Vietnam War was the first "television war".
• Americans at home witnessed the violence through TV news reports.
• The fighting lasted many years with little progress, people wondered if violence was justified.
• Young men who did not agree with the war fled the country or burned their draft cards and the American flag.
• Some protests became violent between the government and protesters.
• The violence of the anti-war protests did not work in the protesters favor.
• Many Americans grew tired of the protests and war.
• The anti-war movement lost momentum as the war ended.

The End of the Vietnam War

• America was trying to keep the North Vietnamese Communist party from taking over the country since the 1950s.
• When Richard Nixon became president, he wanted to end the war in Vietnam.
• Nixon promised to end the war in 1968.
• Americans elected Nixon hoping the promise would come true.
• President Johnson started peace talks called the Paris Peace Talks.
• Nixon continued talks while removing 25,000 soldiers from Vietnam.
• Nixon ordered a secret bombing on Cambodia, west of Vietnam.
• Cambodia had been used by North Vietnamese troops as a highway to transport weapons and supplies.
• The mixed messages from Nixon brought anger from anti-war protesters.
• People were upset Nixon backtracked his promise, and increased involvement without telling Americans.
• Nixon secretly increased involvement in Vietnam during 1970, but it took 3 years to end the war.
• By January 1973, all American troops had been withdrawn from Vietnam and the draft ended.
• Both sides signed the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, which called for a ceasefire.
• American forces left Vietnam, but troops from the North Vietnamese Army were not required to leave South Vietnam.
• 2 years later, communist North Vietnam broke the treaty and invaded South Vietnam.
• All remaining Americans in the region were forced to leave when the communists took over the country in 1975.
• The Vietnam War ended without a win for the US.

Fads and Changes

• The 1970s were a time of many fads and changes.
• There became an exercise craze.
• People wanted to do aerobics, jogging, and exercise videos.
• Americans were interested in eating healthy and natural foods.
• Some fashion of the seventies reflected music of the time.
• Disco music brought tall platform shoes and bell-bottom pants with tight vibrant clothing.

Cultural, Social and Political Changes

• Equal rights became more important during the 1970s.
• The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s opened up a new view on equality.
• The 1970s had more women's rights marches and demands.
• For most of the 20th century, women were not encouraged or could not seek higher education.
• By the end of the 1970s, most women were attending college as men were.
• Even though there were many women in the workplace, they did not receive equal pay.
• Many women fought for the right to have their own careers.
• Women were limited to being secretaries, teachers, nurses, and clerks through the 20th century.
• Through advocating for equal rights, women became doctors, lawyers, and CEOs along with the careers they could choose.

Native American Rights

• People became more aware of unfair living conditions on Native Reservations.
• The American Indian Movement (AIM), founded in 1968, fought for equal rights and treatment.
• Many Native Americans faced racism, police harassment, unemployment, poor housing, drug abuse, and alcoholism.
• They wanted the US government to better honor their treaties.
• The fight for Native American rights resulted in protests, riots, and violence.
• AIM brought positive change for Native American communities.
• Despite significant problems, AIM helped increase living standards and decreased discrimination.

Religious Changes

• Religious changes took place in the 1970s.
• Spiritual revival transformed the US.
• Southern Baptist preacher Billy Graham held what he called crusades across the world.
• Graham began holding the crusades in the late 1940s, and his influence continues today.
• His message was that everyone needs Jesus as their savior.
• Reverend Graham's words reached millions, but he was not the only preacher.
• Graham was part of a larger movement known as the evangelical movement.
• Evangelical Christians believed in spreading Christianity and the message of Jesus around the world.
• They believe that Christians should affect the culture around them.
• By the 1970s, American Evangelicals were a strong political force that supported conservative politics and the Republican Party.
• God was at work despite the violence and disruption of the decade.