Chapter 33: B

Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush

Goal: Stimulate the economy
1. Cut government spending on social programs and lowered income taxes.
Result(s)-> Benefits for middle class-urban mass transit, food stamps, welfare benefits, job training, Medicad, school lunches, and student loans. Lowering income tax drove down prices greatly.
2. Increased military spending
Result(s)-> Defense budget almost doubled.
3. Names conservative judges to the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
Goal: Promote traditional values and morality
Result(s)-> Ended the liberal control over the court that had begun under Franklin Roosevelt.
Goal: Reduce the size and power of the federal government
5. Cut the Environmental Protection Agency budget and appointed EPA administrators sympathetic to business.
Result(s)-> deregulation, the cutting back of federal regulation of industry, increased competition and often resulted in lower prices for consumers.

Supply-side economics- thoery that if people paid fewer taxes, they would save money. Banks could then loan hat money to businesses, which could invest the money in resources to imrove productivity and lower prices.
Sandra Day O'Connor- appointed to the Supreme Court as a judge by Reagan. She was the first woman to be appointed to the court.
William Rehnquist- Becam the first woman on a major party's presidential ticket (from New York).
Geraldine Ferraro- the most conservatice justice on the court at the time, to the position of Chief Justice.

Chapter 33: A

A Conservative Movement Emerges

1. Individuals

William F. Buckley, Jr.- Founder of newspapers: The Wall Street Journal and Nation Review.
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson- Two of the most influenced telecangelists (formed an organization called the Moral Majority, which interpreted the bible in various ways.)
Ronald Reagan- Won the 1980 nomination and chose George H. W. Bush as his running mate.
Barry Goldwater- the Republican candidate for president (1964).

2. Groups and institutions

New Right- focused its energy on controversial social issues (opposing abortion, blocking the Equal Rights Amendment, and evading court ordered busing.)
Conservative Coalition- an aliance of business leaders, middle-class voters, disaffected Democrats, and funamentalist Christian groups.

3. Issues and interests

-New rights critized the affirmative action, which required employers and educational institutions to give special consideration to women, African Americans, and other minority groups.
-Reverse discrimination was seen, which was the favoring of one group over another on the basis of race or gender.
-Supreme Court decisions on abortion, pornography, the teaching of evolution and prayer in public schools, all concerned conservative voters.

Four factors that contributed to Ronal Reagan's victory:
-Skills at simplifying issues and presenting clear answers-> titled the Great Communicator.
-Commitment to the military.
-Economic strength.
-"One of their own"(true believer in less governmet, lower taxes, and traditional values.

Entitlement Program- a program that provides guaranteed benefits to particular groups.
Reverse Discrimination- favoring of one group over another on the basis of race or gender.

Chapter 31: i (section 3)

Culture and Counterculture

1. Members or participants

Members of the counterculture were known as hippies. Hippies wore ragged jeans, tie-dyed T-shirts, military garments, love beads, and Native American ornaments. Most of the memebers were youths who left school, work, or their home. This era was marked by rock 'n' roll, crazy clothing, sexual license, and illegal drugs.

2. Beliefs about American society

Hippies shared many of the same beliefs and felt that American society and its materialism, technologies, and war had grown hollow. The main idea of this group was to maintain peace and harmony. 

3. Goals for society and for themselves

The goals for society and for themselves that the hippies had in mind were to make the community and country of America full of peace, love, and harmony.

4. Movement center

5. Attitudes and activities

For a while the countercultures were all about peace and harmony but then gradually gave way to violence and disillusionment. People began to use a lot of drugs and became homeless, therefore many people started living on the streets.

6. Violent episodes

Once drugs came into every day use many people began to fall apart. One by one people would become addicted to drugs and they began to have mental breakdowns. This behavior led to a lot of violence, which was ironic to the countercultures goals to create peace, love, and harmony.

7. Impact on art and fashion

This time period had an impact on art and fashion because the rise of pop art flourished the community. Pop art was categorized by bright, simple, commercial-looking images from everyday life.

8. Impact on music
During the 1960's the counterculture movement embraced rock 'n' roll. The music was an offshoot of African American rhythm and blues music. The most popular band that helped rock 'n' roll get its boost was the Beatles.  With new uprising music more than 400,000 people went to festivals, one specifically called "Woodstock Music and Art Fair". This festival represented the '60s movement of peace and love.

9. Impact on mainstream America

America's mainstream/attitudes changed during this time period. The thought of "do you own thing" came into factor soon led to the sexual revolution (which was more casual and permissive sexual behaviors). Mass culture, including TV, books, magazines, and movies began to address subjects that one had been prohibited.

Chapter 31:C

The Farm Worker Movement

Why did the NFWA decide to organize a strike against Mount Arbor?

The NFWA decided to organize a strike against Mount Arbor because it was the biggest company. It had about 85 workers, not counting the irrigators and supivisors.

How did Chavez and Huerta try to keep the strike from being broken?

In attempt to keep the strike from being broken, Chavez and Huerta avoided picket lines in order to not break the strike and keep it strong.

Do you think that strikes and boycotts effectively promoted La Causa? Why or why not?

Current Events Summary # 8

Middle East


In the Middle East, a lot of protests have been taking place. For example, in Egypt protests against economic conditions struck the nation. Though, police have been in the presence of most protests, making them fail. Many people working in a Spinning and Weaving Company found prices and wages too high, therefore they would spend their time, after their shifts, fighting to lower them. With all the strikes/protests going on, a great amount of public affairs were affected. For instance, for a while schools were cancelled because of fear that the streets were very dangerous. The government, in order to control this situation, had told police to use whatever tactic they need too; even if that came to using force/violence. The government showed zero-tolerance for this matter, not to mention strikes are illegal in Egypt (causing the government and the police to use even more force.) In all, people are fighting for lower prices on food and wages and their dissatisfaction has shined very much through the country. As a result, the Egyptian government has promised an increase in salaries and they have increased their financial support for food.

Note: While schools have been cancelled because of danger from strikes/protests in Egypt, children in Yemen were actually injured. Explosions/shells by unknown attackers missed the US embassy(which was thought to be the target) and hit a nearby school endangering kids and injury many.

While the discontent of prices of food and wages rising still take place, the people of Egypt are not interested in politics. Therefore this matter results in a low turnout in Egypt. The polls are being boycotted and local elections in Egypt have very small turnouts. Meanwhile, as time goes on. police begin to become more violent. Protesters claim that police used live ammunition to break up the strikes. With anger, protesters are torching buildings, tearing down billboards, and beginning to cause a lot of damage. Once again, the Egyptian government's power impacts the lives of the common people. Raising salaries and increasing the financial aid for food has been promised once again to the people in order to maintain control in the country without resulting in too much chaos that would not be able to be handled or injuries/death of the people.